Legendary record producer arrested in connection with woman’s death
ALHAMBRA, Calif. (AP) – Phil Spector, the legendary record producer whose “Wall of Sound” helped change the sound of pop music in the 1960s, was arrested Monday after a woman was shot to death at his suburban mansion. Spector, 62, was arrested at the castle-like estate around 5 a.m. as part of a homicide investigation, sheriff’s Sgt. Joe Efflandt said.
He was taken to the Alhambra Police Department and bail was set at $1 million.
Defense attorney Robert Shapiro, whose clients have included O.J. Simpson, declined comment.
Authorities did not immediately identify the woman or her relationship to Spector.
In his storied career, Spector produced records for Elvis Presley, Ike and Tina Turner, the Righteous Brothers and Darlene Love.
Among the hits to bear his signature style include “Da Doo Ron Ron” and “Then He Kissed Me” by the Crystals; “Walking in the Rain” by the Ronettes” and “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” by the Righteous Brothers.
His session players, known as the “Wrecking Crew,” included guitarist Glen Campbell, pianist Leon Russell, drummer Hal Blaine and the late Sonny Bono.
During the session, the late bassist Dee Dee Ramone once said, Spector pulled a gun on the band.
“I don’t think he would hurt a fly. Until anything happens, you’re innocent until you’re proven guilty. I don’t think Phil had it in him to murder anybody,” Marky Ramone, drummer for the Ramones, told the Fox News Channel.
The producer is alleged to have demonstrated near-psychotic and abusive behavior, according to a 1995 biography by Rolling Stone magazine.
“It had to stop,” Spector said of his behavior in a 1977 Los Angeles Times interview. “Being the rich millionaire in the mansion and then dressing up as Batman. I have to admit I did enjoy it to a certain extent. But I began to realize it was very unhealthy.”
Spector was a 17-year-old student at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles when he wrote and produced his first No. 1 hit for the Teddy Bears, a 1958 ballad called “To Know Him Is to Love Him.” Its title was taken from the inscription on the gravestone of his father, Benjamin, who committed suicide in 1949 when Spector was 9.
Spector’s second wife was Ronnie Bennett, lead singer of the Ronettes. They divorced in 1974. He has five children from his marriages.
The Ronettes have sued Spector for allegedly cheating them out of earnings from the recordings. The lawsuit, which seeks $3 million, is pending in New York state court.