Charles Manson, born Charles Milles Maddox on 12 November 1934, in Cincinnati, Ohio USA, to Kathleen Maddox, was notionally a singer and songwriter who, however, is notorious for leading the infamous Manson Family, who committed several murders in 1969. He passed away in 2017.
So just how rich was Charles Manson? The criminal has a net worth of over $400,000, according to late 2017 reports. Most of his wealth was acquired by selling his recordings, interviews, photos, and more through various websites his followers still manage.
Charles Manson Net Worth $400,000
Manson’s biological father was Walker Scott, whom Manson supposedly never met, and after he was born, his mother married a laborer, William Manson. Although the marriage ended quickly, the boy kept his stepfather’s last name. Manson’s mother was a criminal and a prostitute who soon abandoned her child, putting him in a boys home. So Manson became involved with crime at an early age, and repeatedly found himself behind bars. During the times when he was out of jail, he survived by stealing cars, committing burglaries and pimping. After a particular 10-year imprisonment had ended, Manson moved to San Francisco, and established himself as the guru to a hippie group to whom he preached his philosophy about an upcoming race war, which he called ‘Helter Skelter’, borrowed from The Beatles song. He convinced them that after a ‘nuclear attack’, they would be saved, and become the mentors to the blacks who would win the war and rule the world. The Manson group consisted largely of young women, and was called the Manson Family. They were initially known for their unconventional lifestyle and extreme drug use.
Eventually, Manson organised and persuaded a group of his most obedient followers to carry out a series of murders in 1969. After their first victim, Gary Hinman fell, Manson sent his group to the house of film director Roman Polanski and his wife actress Sharon Tate, to kill everyone inside. Polanski was absent, but aside from Tate, other victims included the four house guests. The following night Manson and his group killed a supermarket executive, Leno LeBianca and his wife Rosemary. All victims of the Manson murderers were brutally killed, being continually stabbed with various weapons. When the murderers had finally been caught, an extensive trial began, revealing that they had also killed three other people. Manson and most of his followers who committed the crimes were sentenced to death. When California abolished the death penalty in 1972, their sentences were reduced to life in prison. Manson subsequently served his sentence in California’s Corcoran Prison.
In 1975, a Manson follower, Lynette Fromme, attempted to kill US President Gerald Ford in Sacramento. She was subsequently sentenced to life – she was eventually paroled in 2009.
Prior to Manson’s murders, he had been writing and recording music with several of his followers. He had developed a love for music and learned to play guitar while serving time in a prison in his younger days, hoping for a music career when released. His album “Lie: The Love and Terror Cult” was released after his 1969 imprisonment.
During the 1980s, Manson recorded music in prison, including “Commemoration”, “Live at San Quentin” and “The Way of the Wolf”, but the recordings were not released. In 2007 his album “The Summer of Hate – the ’67 Sessions” was released, containing the Family’s 1967 recordings.
Manson’s music, along with the interviews and Manson’s spoken words has been sold by several websites, earning Manson his net worth. Even some popular bands have released his songs, such as Guns N’ Roses and Marilyn Manson, although without notable success.
In 1974 Manson’s prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi published a book about Manson’s life, “Helter Skelter”. Another book that took the Manson Family crimes as its subject was the 2002 “The Dead Circus” by John Kaye. Several documentaries and movies have been based on Manson’s life, including the 1976 “Helter Skelter” and the 1984 “Manson Family Movies”. Manson’s character also appeared in an episode of “South Park”. The 2015 crime drama “Aquarius” portrayed the story based on the Manson Family events.
Speaking of Manson’s personal life, in 1955 he married Rosalie Willis with whom he had a son. After their divorce, Manson married prostitute Leona Stevens in 1959, and fathered another son. He divorced Leona in 1963 and later had a third son with his then girlfriend and follower Mary Brunner in 1968. In 2009 a DJ and songwriter Matthew Roberts stated that he may be Manson’s son, as his mother had been the member of Manson Family, who left the family after being raped by Manson in 1967.
While in prison, Manson became engaged to a young girl, Afton Burton in 2014; the couple obtained a marriage license, but never married. Manson applied for parole several times, but there was never a chance that he would be released, as each time the parole board concluded that he had no chance of permanent rehabilitation, and would be a danger to society.
Charles Manson died of natural causes in Corcoran Prison, California, on 19 November 2017, aged 83.
