Charles Manson was an American criminal and cult leader, born on November 12, 1934. He gained notoriety in the late 1960s for orchestrating a series of murders carried out by his followers, known as the Manson Family. Manson believed in a coming apocalyptic race war, which he referred to as "Helter Skelter," a term he borrowed from a The Beatles song. Manson was arrested in 1969 and later convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. His most infamous crime involved the brutal killings of actress Sharon Tate and several others. Manson spent the rest of his life in prison, dying on November 19, 2017.