Charles Manson leaves jail for hospital

Convicted mass murderer Charles Manson was taken from a California prison to a hospital for an undisclosed medical issue, according to media reports.

Manson was seriously ill, a source told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday, but could not provide further information.

TMZ reports that Manson was transported to a hospital in Bakersfield, California, about an hour from California State Prison in Corcoran, where he is being held.

A spokesman for California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation had no comment, citing inmate privacy issues.

Manson, who was sentenced to life in prison, directed his mostly young, female followers - known as the Manson Family - to murder seven people in August 1969 in what prosecutors said was part of a plan to incite a race war between whites and blacks.