System Of A Down's Daron Malakian has caused online dispute by saying that he was ‘very sad’ to hear about the death of Charles Manson, and thus hailed him a ‘genius’ for his music and interviews.

Cult leader, Charles Manson - the murder manipulator extraordinaire - died in hospital of natural causes on Sunday. He was 83 years old. The killer had previously been hospitalised for intestinal bleeding but doctors deemed him too weak to operate on, so they sent him back to prison. In Daron Malakian's tribute Facebook post, he writes about the influence Manson had on him:

'During the time I was writing the Toxicity album, Manson’s interviews and music were a big influence on me as an artist. I titled the song 'ATWA' after Manson’s environmental organisation. My interest was in the way he articulated his thoughts and his views on society, not in the murders'.

In rebuttal to his many disagreeing followers, Malakian went on to argue that while he doesn't condone the murders, Manson's crimes shouldn't alter people's opinion on his contribution to art. He also stated:

'...Sometimes talented people do bad things. For example, OJ Simpson killed his wife, which is horrible. But you can’t deny the fact that he was one of the best football players in history'.