LOS ANGELES — Phil Spector, the eccentric and revolutionary music producer who transformed rock music with his “Wall of Sound” method and who later was convicted of murder, has died. He was 81.Spector was convicted of murdering actress Lana Clarkson in 2003 at his castle-like mansion on the edge of Los Angeles. After a trial in 2009, he was sentenced to 19 years to life.
He was the rare self-conscious artist in rock’s early years and cultivated an image of mystery and power with his dark shades and impassive expression. But thanks in part to the arrival of the Beatles, his chart success would soon fade. When “River Deep-Mountain High,” an aptly-named 1966 release that featured Tina Turner, failed to catch on, Spector shut down his record label and withdrew from the business for three years. He would go on to produce the Beatles and Lennon among others, but he was now serving the artists, instead of the other way around.
Spector also had a memorable film role, a cameo as a drug dealer in “Easy Rider.” The producer himself was played by Al Pacino in a 2013 HBO movie. He would later tell friends Clarkson had shot herself. The case was fraught with mystery, and it took authorities a year to file charges. In the meantime, Spector remained free on $1 million bail.
Harvey Phillip Spector, in his mid-60s when he was charged with murder, had been born on Dec. 26, 1939, in New York City’s borough of the Bronx. Bernard Spector, his father, was an ironworker. His mother, Bertha, was a seamstress. In 1947, Spector’s father committed suicide because of family indebtedness, an event that would shape his son’s life in many ways.
He began working with star composers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who had met at Fairfax High a few years before Spector arrived. Ultimately, he found his niche in producing. During this period he also co-wrote the hit song, “Spanish Harlem,” with Ben E. King, and played lead guitar on the Drifters’ “On Broadway.”
Spector’s domestic life, along with his career, eventually came apart. After his first marriage, to Annette Merar, broke up, Ronettes leader singer Ronnie Bennett became his girlfriend and muse. He married her in 1968 and they adopted three children. But she divorced him after six years, claiming in a memoir that he held her prisoner in their mansion, where she said he kept a gold coffin in the basement and told her he would kill her and put her in it if she ever tried to leave him.
TorontoBlonde Think he is related to Boris Johnson with the scruffy haircut!
Tarde o temprano llega
Buried the lede
Interesting. An 81 year old Man died in prison and they didn’t blame it on the fake HOAXVID-19 virus. Isn’t that ironic.
getagrip541 Also, I've had enough of DJs talking on the radio about 'his' music. He was just an overpayed button twiddler, the people who wrote and performed the music owned it, not him.
getagrip541 Good.
He shouldn’t have even made it to 81
All the press is about Spector and his fame when it should be about those he injured and killed.
Hope he doesn't find Dee Dee and try to scare him with a gun in heaven.. PhilSpector DeeDeeRamone 1234!!!
Hate will screw your life!
Aww what a shame, hope the murderer rots in hell..
ELEANORXNEALE
No one gives a flying fuck about a murderer dying why you report it
He is survived by his wig.
He was a convicted murderer why isn’t that mentioned first
Ok?.... I hate Cheerios for breakfast. 🤷🏽♂️
Murderer
i learned who this man was from Family Guy, and i swear to God i'm not lying.
Por qué su cara ya decía que estaba loco?
I think what you meant to write is....'Phil Spector, Murderer who was convicted in a 2003 murder of Lana Clarkson, has died. He was previously known as a music producer, etc.'
what a great portfolio
L
The Ramones said he pointed guns at them when he worked with them. johnnyramone walked off the album. And the others except for Joey.
I think just drop all the revolutionary stuff... he was a murderer that’s it..
isn’t this the child catcher out of chitty chitty bang bang
Good that there is the Beatles LET IT BE naked.
Spector was a convicted murderer who produced the All Things Must Pass album by George Harrison. Plus many other hit records for artists.
rip phil in a better place now
The monster
The opening of Mean Streets - right there. Man was a mad genius.
This guy was in jail?
Good
A convicted murderer.. this is the legacy he left behind.
Musica que Mata
Phil Spector Murdered our beautiful sweet friend Lana Clarkson 18 year ago on Feb 3rd, 2003. So today all of us who knew Lana, Loved Lana and her beautiful spirit, we need to celebrate Lana's life. Lana Clarkson-We remember you
Pos uno menos, mucho ha tardado.
DJ_Weezy 🙏🏽🙏🏽
Welcome home
So? Good.
Nice
Aww, and trump was about to pardon him
Oh yeah, plus he's a murderer among all these other accolades
Pretty sure convicted murderer should be billed before revolutionary music producer lol
Well Associated Press, he is just a dead murderer, not famed for anything.
We remember seeing this and thinking, is this guy really a killer?
Goodbye! I guess you decided to die your way out of prison! You weren’t getting paroled...try to be a better human being in your next life!
Piece of shit murder dies in prison* oh and he made some music. Fixed that for y’all
How about if “convicted murderer” is the first title he gets..
Why is the fact that he made some music the priority over the convicted murderer thing?
Ha ha, Ronnie outlived you, you piece of shit.
Good
Sad thing is, if he wasn’t such a cunt of a person and a convicted murderer the world would be mourning his genius as a musical producer and remembering his legacy. I was never much of a fan of his “Wall of Sound”, although “Heatwave” is one song that shines from Spector’s hand.
Well he's not creepy at all... lol.
Se parecía al medio pelo argentino Dolina XD
Lol bye bitch.
This shouldn't even be in my timeline. Murder is one of those things that remove all validity to your accomplishments and makes you a non-entity in life.
holy shit
Good
he literally shot a woman in the mouth. Pulled guns on 4 women before this. Your fave is currently in hell.
Good riddance to that monster. He also ruined The Beatles’ Let It Be album.
They literally mention him being a murderer as an afterthought. Wtf.
k
He was talented, yes, but also a horribly damaged and evil person.
Headline should convicted murderer who was a previous music producer! No murderer deserves pats on the back! Hope his sole rots in hell!!
Good riddance
He was very gifted and also a fucking killer. He made good music, but no excuse for his actions.
They always put profession before your crimes. Quit crying.
Let me rewrite that for you... Phil Spector. Murder. Dies. You can't be a revolutionary after murdering someone.
Shit Tweet Proper shit. Show some respect.
Who writes this shit? Yes. Let's lavish praise on the convicted murderer.
who cares
You're going to end with what songs he made?! That's not the most surprising thing you said
Haber haber....
Suggest your tweet starts with acknowledging the woman, LanaClarkson Spector murdered and that he has died . Not sure you need to write anything else about him.
I want to see Paul Reubens play him in a movie
Murderer who also happened to produce music. Fixed the headline for you.
Am I alone, or is this headline so whitewashed? 'He's convicted of murder, but he arranged in a couple of hit songs.'
Good
RIP, Legend. 💐💐💐
Esa mirada...q impresión!
Twitter you added this guy -THIS GUY?!?- under the 'in memorium' tag?
No loss to humanity.
Think about how u think of TheRealOJ32 & then get back to me. saidwhatisaid
Bye bitch
A song by Michael Peter Smith that resonates appropriately, “The Ballad of Phil Spector.”
This tweet is disgusting
Say hi to Hitler, Phil 👍
This man was a musical genius. Brilliant. A flawed human being, but to not recognize what he did for the music industry is laughable. One of his most underrated gems - Gene Pitney: 'Every Breath I take.' He broke Pitney down, and brought out his best. Thanks, Phil Spector.
Is this good news or bad news
No one cares about this evil being.
Why is 'convicted murderer' second in the headline? And why is he being praised in any way? Dude killed someone.
Ahah yes! The drug lord whom brought and tested the coke from Wyatt and Billy!
It would be cool to read about how he killed Lana Clarkson and the trials in more detail instead of this bs glorifying his outdated music. Seriously this is journalism failure
Great news
925mlbfan
Oh well
k
Let me rephrase the headline: Murdered has died.
One less parasite in the world. PhilSpector
Oh well.
Can we combine the words? Murdeproducer
He killed a woman
lmao dont care and didnt fucking ask lol
is he on the chiefs? no? don’t care
Your headline slants him to be a great man instead of a disgusting murderer. Kind of like calling Bakr al-Baghdadi an austere religious scholar. Don't put the cart in front of the horse.
Revolutionary murderer and convicted music producer
How about Phil Spector, murderer, died in prison. He was known for his career as a music producer before killing someone.
what the fuck was the music industry in the 60s.
Bye.
He created spectacular music.
If he gets a movie for some odd, use Kevin Mcdonald
Phil Spector chose the cowards way out.
CheezieBreezie Good riddance
Not sorry because he’s a cold heartless murderer. Let’s move on
The fuckis wrong with you people? He was an abusive murderer
Remember Lana Clarkson with love and respect. Finally, the chain between Lana and her killer has been broken. Remember Lana and all the love her friends, family and fans have for her.
Good.
yourewrongabout I was just listening to one of the OJ episodes yesterday when y’all mentioned Phil
Does Ronnie Spector get her music back now?
I thought he died 10 years ago. Maybe even 15. What's for lunch...
Spector? He nearly killed - oh
He looks like the kid grabbing guy from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Sorry, *looked*
Let's get Convicted Pedophile Roman Polanski extradited back to the States! Hollyweird and the Bogus Media don't want to discuss that!!
Not. A. Loss.
California used lavish Court proceedings to build a wall of bricks
Music producer and murderer, what a fucking combo lmao
He's taking the 'wall of sound' all the way into eternity where he will ultimately be judged.
Rip 💔💔🙏🏽🙏🏽
Adios asshole rest in piss.
Thank you for this headline.
good riddance.
😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴
Yes, he was a music producer at one time but his personal life & how he treated the women that we're in it speaks volumes about the man!! The 😈 saved a special place just for him & it's right where he should be.
Interesting, I will check out his music.
Louisabacio It's a weird choice to spend more characters describing his music choices than the fact he freaking did a murder but okay
Let me be the first to correct you: 'Convicted revolutionary music murderer producer Phil Spector dead at 81.'
Good.
So why did this guy not received the death penalty? He's was a rich white guy.....
Good riddance
Rest In Peace Phil Spector
You forgot the fact that he MURDERED someone 🤔
Yeah, must be terrible! 😬
Lots of pedos out there. Don Henley raped and drugged two very young teens in the 1980s and got away w it.
'In memoriam' Twitter? Fuck off.
beatlesbible His Wall of Sound remix of the Ring Trilogy is gonna be lit!
Good, fuck Phil Spector!!!
No one will care.
He made some good music and I watched many about the case against him. I still always had a question of what really happened and was he actually guilty as convicted. It don't matter now but still I enjoy the music it lives on.
Well, bye.
I get the headline seems off putting but what made the story so sensational is how successful and talented he was. It’s crazy to see someone commit a crime like this when they seem to have it all
How about focusing on the murder.
Thank you for the music, Phil Spector. Fuck you for everything else.
Lana Clarkson's convicted murderer died. SayHerName
Murderer. Abuser.
We need a more current photo of his ugly ass
2021 is gonna be a good year for California, their convicted murderers and serial killers are dropping like flies.
May he rot in hell...good riddance. As for the author of this ass kissing article... you still have time to course correct...
A murderer, yes. Before he turned that dark corner, he was an innovator in the music industry. So many songs came from his ‘wall of sound’. Such a shame that his life took such a nefarious and twisted turn.
Good riddance, I say. I also say, -- find a new staffer to write your headlines. What a crock of crap!
Learning of the news and more about him. Wow 😳 !!!
A misogynist who has no respect for women, victims or families wrote this headline. It makes my skin crawl. God knows how he’ll eulogize Bill Cosby et al.
No one cares.
Perpetual_Now Meh
What took him soo long? 2021 starting to turn things around a little
I'm thinking about the woman he killed and the rest he terrorized.
Why is murderer not the main thing idgaf about his music
Feel like convicted murder should be first when listing his accomplishments
When I read a bio on Spector a few years ago I expected to think even less of him as a person but I didn't anticipate also thinking less of him as a musician. A trailblazer no doubt, but pretty much a one trick pony.
LiveSundayExpo 한번 죽는 것은 정하신 것이요 그 후에는 심판이 있으리니
Good riddance to bad rubbish. Time to move on...
Will there be a memorial service for PhilSpector's hair?
“A 2003 murder” like it was random and he was loosely associated
Mark Chapman is the one that needs to go the most in this world.
More like the convicted murderer who used to be a music producer.
Doesn’t matter, he was a convicted murderer and his legacy was set in stone by that one action.
lookner * murder His victim couldnt be reached for comment ..
damn he’s a crazy mf i bet he’s in hell but this is just speculation
My old boss.
I think you can probably lead the story with the murder tho, rather than the producer part. Seeing as that was the biggest change he made in the world.
Why punctuation is important: California prison officials say Spector used lavish orchestral arrangements on 1960s hits like 'Be My Baby' to create his 'Wall of Sound.'
Left out murderer & abuser?! Guess since his victims weren't cishet men,they didn't matter ?
Headline: Murderer, Phil Spector gets a one way ticket to hell. 🤷♀️
DerenicByrd .. and convicted MURDER!!
MURDERER WHO MURDERED DIES There I fixed your lede. Please be better.
Gross that you don’t bring up his murder conviction first
TonyTodd54 Sad end of a what was proud man. Rest In Peace
Covid got one right.
All the people trying to 'fix' the headline need to get a life. More people know him for music than murder, so music gets listed first. Quit trying to make something out of nothing.
If I didn’t already know who Spector was, I could absolutely tell he was white just by this headline. WTF, AP. Seriously what the fuck
I guess his victim is nameless and unimportant
TonyTodd54 Hell of a headline 🤣
He ended the life of a poor struggling actress called Lana Clarkson, that's your throwaway '2003 murder'. She must have been so scared. RIPLanaClarkson getfuckedPhilSpector
The Howard Hughes of poo music.
I like that you lead with this cool achievement and bury murderer in there.
Are we so sensitive as a society now that the word producer mentioned before him being a murderer in a tweet is upsetting and offensive? Good lord. Are we supposed to preface when sharing one of his songs with a 'before you listen, I must tell you, the producer is a murderer'?
California prison officials say. Spector's used lavish orchestral arrangements on 1960s hits like 'Be My Baby' to create his 'Wall of Sound.' Those officials know a lot about music.
TonyTodd54 marcusparks
His wall of sound is kind of a mixed bag, made The Long and Winding Road bad but makes All Things Must Pass good
You know what? The murder should be the first thing mentioned, not his music career. He lost that right when he murdered Lana. Ronnie Spector spent DECADES warning people about him. He got a pass because of his producing. And because he's white.
shouldn’t the headline be murderer and serial abuser?
BYE WIG
He was a murdered FFS. RIP Lana Clarkson SayHerName
You guys are SO bad at this.
Methinks a man wrote this headline. 🤔
Thought he was already dead to be honest
Only rich murderers are described this way
Ah, yes. He murdered Lana Clarkson, but let’s talk about how much of a great producer he was 🙄
he was sitting for that deal with the girl got shot right? oh well not a good way to go
And he was THIS close to getting a Trump pardon
I think the murder conviction is rather more important than the ability to carry a tune in this rather odd & inconsiderate headline
I mean, yeah he was a reprehensible murderer too but go with that. Ffs
RIH 🔥.
he's lucky
That's a shame, that's a doggone shame that's what that is.
Trump’s horcrux.
CORRECTION: Phil Spector, the convicted murderer, has died at age 81.
AGAIN... murderer should come BEFORE music producer
More like Phil Spectre.
His wigs live on-
Ruined the Let it Be album
Revolutionary murderer.
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