Melanie Eversley

USA TODAY

Charles Manson, spiritual leader of a murderous 1960s cult, has been moved from a California prison to a hospital in Bakersfield, according to multiple media reports.

Manson, 82, was taken to the emergency room at Mercy Hospital Downtown, the Bakersfield Californian reported it was told by a source. The cause was gastrointestinal problems, TMZ reported.

The Los Angeles Times reported that a source described Manson as "seriously ill." The state Corrections Department declined to confirm or deny the reports, citing state and federal medical privacy laws. Mercy Hospital Downtown did not respond to calls for comment from USA TODAY.

Manson has been serving nine life sentences at Corcoran State Prison in Corcoran, Calif., for leading the 1969 Manson "family" on a crime spree that included the murder of five people at the California home of director Roman Polanski. Among the victims was Polanski's pregnant wife, actress Sharon Tate.