Popular American producer and songwriter, Phil Spector has passed away.
The music legend who dominated the pop charts in the early 1960s with his bombastic-symphonic “wall of sound” in hit singles such as Be My Baby, and You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling, died at the age of 81.
Recall that in 2009, he was convicted of the 2003 murder of Hollywood actress Lana Clarkson.
His death was confirmed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
“California Health Care Facility inmate Phillip Spector was pronounced deceased of natural causes at 6:35 p.m. on Saturday, January 16, 2021, at an outside hospital. His official cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner in the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office,” it said.
Spector produced top hits between 1961 and 1965. His production methods influenced major artistes, including the Beach Boys and Bruce Springsteen.
His life was ultimately blighted by drug and alcohol addiction and retired from the music scene during the 1980s and 1990s.
In February 2003, actress Lana Clarkson was found dead at his house in California with a bullet wound to her head.
Clarkson, who was known for her work in the sword-and-sorcery genre and starred in films including Barbarian Queen, had met Spector hours earlier at a nightclub.
Spector claimed the shooting happened when Clarkson “kissed the gun” – but his trial heard from four women, stated contrary.
Following an initial mistrial, Spector was convicted of second-degree murder and given a sentence of 19 years to life.