Phil Spector has died at the age of 81 while serving a sentence in prison for murder. The pop music producer was responsible for hits by artists like The Beatles, The Righteous Brothers and Tina Turner, before being convicted in 2009 for murdering Hollywood actress Lana Clarkson in 2003.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed his death, stating “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.”
Spector produced 20 Top 40 hits between 1961 and 1965, inspiring future talents like The Beach Boys and Bruce Springsteen, before retiring from the music industry during the 1980s and 1990s due to his drug and alcohol addiction.
In 2003, actress Lana Clarkson was found dead at his California house with a bullet wound in her head. Clarkson, who was famous for her roles in movies like Barbarian Queen had only met Spector hours before at a nightclub.
While Spector initially claimed that the shooting occurred after Clarkson “kissed the gun,” courts ruled that he was guilty after four other women came forward stating that he had threatened them with guns. Spector was convicted of second degree murder and was ordered to serve 19 years to life.
