The world didn't exactly stop on the charles manson death date, but it certainly took a collective breath. It was a Sunday night. November 19, 2017. While most people were winding down their weekend, the news broke that the man who had come to personify pure, unadulterated evil in the American psyche was finally gone. He was 83. After nearly half a century behind bars, the leader of the "Manson Family" died not in a prison cell, but in a hospital bed in Bakersfield, California.
Honestly, it’s kinda strange how much gravity that date still holds. You’d think after decades of him being locked away at Corcoran State Prison, the news would feel like a footnote. It wasn't. For many, especially those who lived through the terror of 1969, his death felt like the final, ragged exhale of a very dark era.
The Specifics of November 19, 2017
So, what actually happened? According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), Manson passed away at 8:13 p.m. from "natural causes." But "natural causes" is a broad term that doctors use to cover a lot of ground. If you dig into the official death certificate—which, of course, was eventually leaked to the press—the details are a bit more clinical and a lot grimmer.
The immediate cause of death was listed as cardiac arrest. Basically, his heart just stopped. But that wasn't the whole story. He had been suffering from respiratory failure and metastatic colon cancer. The cancer had been aggressive, and by the time the charles manson death date rolled around, it had spread significantly.
He spent his final days at Mercy Hospital. It’s a stark contrast to the way his victims died. Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, Steven Parent, and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca weren't given the luxury of a hospital bed or palliative care. They were victims of a "Helter Skelter" fantasy that Manson had cooked up in his head—a race war he tried to ignite through proxy murders.
Why the Date Matters So Much
History is funny about dates. We remember August 9, 1969, as the night the 60s died. That was the night of the Tate murders. But the charles manson death date serves as a different kind of milestone. It represents the closing of a loop.
For the families of the victims, the date didn't necessarily bring "closure"—that's a word people use when they haven't actually lost someone to a cult-driven massacre. Instead, it brought a sense of finality. Anthony DiMaria, the nephew of victim Jay Sebring, once mentioned that as long as Manson was alive, he was still "present" in the culture. His death meant he was finally out of the way.
The Legal Chaos After He Died
You might think that once a person like that dies, things get quiet. Not even close. Immediately after November 19, a bizarre legal circus broke out over his body. Because Manson had spent his life manipulating people, he left behind a trail of "friends," "sons," and "grandsons" all vying for his remains.
- Jason Freeman: Claimed to be Manson's grandson and eventually won the right to the body.
- Michael Channels: A long-time pen pal who claimed to have a 2002 will leaving everything to him.
- Matthew Roberts: A musician who believed he was Manson's biological son.
For months, Manson’s body was literally on ice in Kern County while lawyers argued. It wasn't until March 2018—nearly four months after the charles manson death date—that he was finally cremated and his ashes scattered in a private location.
Myths vs. Reality
People love to mythologize Manson. They think of him as some sort of "super-predator" or a genius manipulator. But by the time he reached his death date in 2017, he was just a frail, sick old man with a swastika carved into his forehead.
He had been denied parole 12 times. He wasn't even eligible again until 2027. He lived in a "Protective Housing Unit" because, frankly, even other prisoners didn't want much to do with him. The "power" he had over the Family in the 60s didn't translate to much in the 21st century besides a few weirdos sending him letters.
It’s worth noting that Manson never actually killed anyone himself during those two infamous nights in August. He was the conductor. He sent Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Linda Kasabian to do the work. This nuance is why his trial was so revolutionary for its time—it proved that you could be held responsible for murders you didn't physically commit if you were the architect of the conspiracy.
What to Do With This Information
If you're researching this for a project or just because you’re a true crime buff, the best thing to do is look at the primary sources. The CDCR archives and the official trial transcripts from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office are the gold standard.
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- Avoid the fan-sites: There are still people who try to "explain away" Manson's actions. Stick to the facts provided by the California courts.
- Check out "Helter Skelter": It’s the book by Vincent Bugliosi, the prosecutor who put him away. It’s dense, but it’s the most thorough account of how they built the case.
- Acknowledge the victims: When we talk about the charles manson death date, it’s easy to focus on the killer. Take a moment to look up the lives of the people he took. They were artists, parents, and friends whose lives were cut short for a delusion.
The legacy of that November night in 2017 isn't about Manson’s "legend." It's about the fact that even the most notorious figures eventually have to face the biological reality of the end. He died a prisoner, which is exactly where the justice system intended for him to stay.