LOS ANGELES: Phil Spector, who revolutionized 1960s pop music with his "Wall of Sound" technique but ended up in prison for murder, has died at age 81, authorities said Sunday.
In his heyday, Spector was the undisputed king of rock 'n' roll producers, the "Tycoon of Teen" whose music helped define the soaring optimism of a generation.
But the sharp suits and dark sunglasses favored by the diminutive genius gave way to prison clothes after he was convicted of the 2003 shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson.
Spector was pronounced dead on Saturday and his "official cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner," according to a statement from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Born in New York to Russian-Jewish parents in 1939, Spector was only eight years old when his father committed suicide, a family tragedy that was to leave lasting scars on the young Spector's psyche.
In the aftermath of his father's death, Spector, his mother and his sister moved to Los Angeles for a fresh start.
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