Al Seib-Pool/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Phil Spector, the famed music producer who was later convicted of murder, has died, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed. He was 81.

Officials said he died of natural causes Saturday at an outside hospital.

Back in 2003, Spector was convicted of murdering actress Lana Clarkson. In 2009, he was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison.

Dubbed “The First Tycoon of Teen,” Spector’s pioneering and legendary “Wall of Sound” production method helped shape pop music in the 1960s and remains influential to this day.  He was a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. 

Among his productions: the Beatles’ Let It Be, George Harrison’s The Concert for Bangladesh, and countless chart hits, including The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost that Loving Feelin,'” and girl-group classics by the Ronettes and the Crystals, including “Be My Baby” and “He’s a Rebel.”

By Andrea Tuccillo and Andrea Dresdale
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