Phil Spector dead at 81

Phil Spector, the legendary music producer and murderer, is dead at 81.

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 was famous for his revolutionary "wall of sound" production techniques, originally devised to sound rich and dynamic on low-quality transistor radio speakers in an age before stereo. He worked with the Beatles, the Ronettes, the Righteous Brothers and many others, counting dozens of top 40 hits.

He shot and killed Hollywood actress Lana Clarkson in 2003 and was convicted of murder in 2009.