Music producer and convicted murderer Phil Spector died this past weekend aged 81.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Spector died of natural causes but medical examiners have yet to declare an official cause of death.
The producer, who was a big influence on popular music in the 1960s, was convicted of second-degree murder in 2009. He was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for the fatal shooting of actor Lana Clarkson in 2003.
Spector killed the actor at his mansion in California. She was found by officers with a gunshot wound through the roof of her mouth.
"Lana Clarkson was a warm, compassionate, kind, loving woman who would be 58 years old now," Clarkson's mother, Donna, said in a statement in response to news of Spector's death.
Clarkson was a Hollywood actor who starred in several blockbuster and B-movie titles in the 1980s such as "Barbarian Queen," "Scarface," "Blind Date," and "Deathstalker." Spector previously said the shooting was an accident and Clarkson was shot when she "kissed the gun." Several witnesses eventually came forward and claimed they had been threatened by Spector.
Spector produced records for some of the most popular bands and singers of the 80s and 90s. He produced for Tina Turner, Cher, Ike, The Beatles and The Ramones.
Between 1961 and 1965, Spector produced 20 Top 40 hits. These included songs by Bruce Springsteen and the Beach Boys. At the end of his career, Spector succumbed to drug and alcohol addiction. He eventually retired from the music scene in the 1990s.
The producer is also credited with creating the production style known as the "Wall of Sound." He pioneered recording music through the layering of instrumental tracks that underpinned some of the most popular music tracks in history.
Throughout his career, Spector received several awards including an Album of the Year Grammy for "The Concert of Bangladesh." Spector was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters' Hall of Fame.
