Phil Spector, music producer and convicted killer, dead at 81
Phil Spector, the prolific music producer who changed the industry with his “Wall of Sound” in the 1960s and spent his last years in prison for murder, died Saturday. He was 81.
Spector reportedly contracted COVID-19 about a month ago from his jail cell at the California Health Care Facility in Stockton and was hospitalized, but was returned to the prison. He relapsed and was rushed to the hospital, where he died.
The California Department of Corrections said he died of natural causes, but jail officials said a medical examiner will determine his exact cause of death.
A Bronx native behind hits by the Ronettes, Ike and Tina Turner and the Beatles, Spector was convicted in 2009 of the murder of actress Lana Clarkson and sentenced to 19 years to life in prison.
Spector’s Wall of Sound, his personal formula for music production, made him one of the most influential figures in music history. Spector himself referred to his productions as “little symphonies for the kids,” an orchestral jumble of instruments, vocals and sound effects.
“It looked like there were about 50 musicians, 25 singers, and Phil was in the midst of tearing up what looked like an arrangement,” singer Tina Turner once said about recording “River Deep, Mountain High” with Spector in 1966.
“I wish all of the people that I sing for could have seen Phil Spector in action, working there with all those people and getting that sound.”
Among his producing credits are the Beatles’ “Let It Be,” George Harrison’s “Concert for Bangladesh,” Leonard Cohen’s “Death of a Ladies’ Man” and the Ramones’ “End of the Century.” He also worked on the Righteous Brothers’ “You Lost That Loving Feeling” and multiple projects with John Lennon.
Early in his career, Spector worked out of the Brill Building in New York City with songwriting teams with heavy names like Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Cynthia Weil, Barry Mann, Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry.
He and veteran L.A. producer Lester Sill formed Philles Records in 1961, where the Crystals became household names, growing even more after Spector replaced the original group with singer Darlene Love and her backing group, the Blossoms.
Eventually, Spector moved west to Los Angeles’ Gold Star Studios where he worked with engineer Larry Levine, arranger Jack Nitzsche and a team of musicians nicknamed the Wrecking Crew. *In 1963, he produced four top 10 hits: the Crystals’ “Da Doo Ron Ron” and “Then He Kissed Me,” Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans’ “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” and the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby.”
His producing style has since been emulated by dozens of artists, including Bruce Springsteen and the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.
In February 2003, Clarkson, 40, who appeared in movies including “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” and “Barbarian Queen,” was found dead in Spector’s Alhambra, Calif., mansion from a single gunshot wound to her mouth. Spector claimed the actress had committed suicide, but his driver, Adriano de Souza, reported seeing the producer leave the house holding a gun after hearing the fatal gunshot.
“I think I killed someone,” de Souza testified hearing Spector say.
He was tried for her murder in 2007, but a mistrial was declared after a hung jury. He was tried again in October 2008 and convicted of second-degree murder in April 2009.
Ex-wife Ronnie Bennett, the lead singer of the Ronettes whom he married after splitting from his first wife, Annette Merar, previously accused the possessive producer of holding her captive inside their home. In her 1990 memoir, “Be My Baby,” she accused Spector of threatening to kill her and keep her in a glass coffin in the basement if she ever tried to leave him.
“I can only say that when I left in the early ’70s, I knew that if I didn’t leave at that time, I was going to die there,” she wrote.
In a Facebook post Sunday, she called him “a brilliant producer, but a lousy husband.”
“When I was working with Phil Spector, watching him create in the recording studio, I knew I was working with the very best. He was in complete control, directing everyone. So much to love about those days. Meeting him and falling in love was like a fairy tale. The magical music we were able to make together was inspired by our love. I loved him madly, and gave my heart and soul to him,” she wrote.
“Unfortunately Phil was not able to live and function outside of the recording studio. Darkness set in, many lives were damaged. I still smile whenever I hear the music we made together, and always will. The music will be forever.”
In 2013, Al Pacino played Spector in David Mamet’s made-for-TV movie about the trial. Helen Mirren and Jeffrey Tambor co-starred as defense attorneys Linda Kenney Baden and Bruce Cutler, respectively.
Spector is survived by his wife, Rachelle, from whom he filed for divorce in 2016, The Associated Press reported; three children adopted with Ronnie, and a daughter with ex-girlfriend Janis Zavala.
