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The relationship between Charles Manson and The Beach Boys was brief but explosive, centered entirely around drummer Dennis Wilson in the summer of 1968. Wilson picked up Manson cult members hitchhiking, leading to Manson and his followers moving into Wilson's Pacific Palisades mansion for several months.The bizarre entanglement featured several distinct events:The Takeover: The "Family" essentially took over Wilson's home, participating in heavy drug use (LSD), orgies, and draining the musician's finances.The Song "Cease to Exist": Manson, an aspiring musician, wrote the song "Cease to Exist". Wilson and the Beach Boys recorded a reworked version of it as "Never Learn Not to Love," using it as a B-side on their 1968 single "Bluebirds over the Mountain".The Fallout: Wilson altered the song's lyrics and title, and took full writing credit without giving Manson a royalty cut—paying him only a lump sum, a motorcycle, and some cash. This enraged Manson.The Threats: Other members of the band, including Mike Love and Bruce Johnston, visited the house and were disturbed by Manson's volatile behavior and cult-like control over his followers. Eventually, after Manson left a bullet as a death threat against Wilson's children, the drummer beat him up and abandoned the house.The violent cult leader never achieved the mainstream music connections he sought through Wilson, culminating in the tragic Tate-LaBianca murders committed by the Manson Family a year later.