[Nicky91]

Charles Manson has been taken from prison to a hospital in Bakersfield, Calif., according to various news 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 a source described Manson as "seriously ill."

A spokeswoman at Mercy Hospital Downtown did not respond to two telephone messages or a text left Tuesday night.

Manson has been serving nine life sentences at Corcoran State Prison in Corcoran, Calif., for leading the 1969 Manson Family cult murders of actress Sharon Tate, then 26, and others during a two-night killing spree.