Ronnie Spector recalls ‘brilliant producer, lousy husband’ Phil Spector after his death

Ronnie Spector, former lead of The Ronettes, carved some time out to remember and honour her ex-husband Phil Spector this weekend after the disgraced music mogul passed away at the age of 81. 

“It’s a sad day for music and a sad day for me,” Spector wrote in a Facebook post alongside a throwback photo of her and Phil in the studio. “When I was working with Phil Spector, watching him create in the recording studio, I knew I was working with the very best. He was in complete control, directing everyone. So much to love about those days. Meeting him and falling in love was like a fairytale,” she continued. 

“The magical music we were able to make together, was inspired by our love. I loved him madly, and gave my heart and soul to him. As I said many times while he was alive, he was a brilliant producer, but a lousy husband,” she then revealed. “Unfortunately Phil was not able to live and function outside of the recording studio. Darkness set in, many lives were damaged. I still smile whenever I hear the music we made together, and always will. The music will be forever. Phil Spector 1939-2021.”

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The 77-year-old singer was married to Spector from 1968 to 1974, sharing what was later revealed to be an abusive relationship. The story of their marriage is expected to be told in part in the upcoming Ronnie Spector biopic, Be My Baby, which will reportedly star Zendaya and is based on Spector’s book of the same name that she wrote with Vince Waldron. "I thought, I wasn't going to sing again and that I was going to die there," Ronnie once recalled of the abusive marriage in an interview with People.

The Ronettes weren’t the only group linked to the producer over his career. He also helped produce hits for The Beatles, The Righteous Brothers and Tina Turner, and he became known for his Wall of Sound production style, which he developed with an engineer and a group of session musicians. (Essentially it’s a technique in which a group of musicians perform the same instruments in unison, and then the sound they create is re-recorded in an echo chamber.) 

As much as the man was known for his work life, he was also known to be a volatile personality. He would reportedly threaten his artists with a gun, and in 2009 he was sentenced 19 years to life in prison following a second-degree murder conviction in the 2003 shooting of actor Lana Clarkson (Barbarian Queen). The 40-year-old had been found in the producer’s mansion with a gunshot wound to her mouth; the defense claimed it was a suicide, leading to a mistrial in 2007 and a successful retrial in 2008.

Spector’s death was confirmed on January 16. He had been serving his sentence in California when he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and hospitalized last month. According to TMZ he died of coronavirus-related complications but no official cause of death has been released at time of press. The medical examiner at the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office is expected to determine and release further findings in the coming days.

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