Phil Spector Arrested for Murder

Forget his vaunted "Wall of Sound"--Rock and Roll Hall of Fame record producer Phil Spector could be facing the walls of prison.

The reclusive mastermind behind classic recordings by Tina Turner, the Crystals and the Beatles was arrested Monday for allegedly gunning down a woman at his fortress-like Los Angeles-area home.

The Alhambra Police Department hauled in the 62-year-old producer and booked him for investigation of murder after the discovery of the woman's body at Spector's mansion in the chiefly working-class suburb some 10 miles from downtown L.A.

Spector remained in police custody Monday afternoon. Bail is set at $1 million. Robert Shapiro, one of O.J. Simpson's Dream Team, has been hired to represent Spector.

So far, the details of the case are sketchy at best, but police say the woman was killed around 5 a.m. at the sprawling hilltop estate Spector called his "Pyrenees Castle." Police were alerted to the home by someone inside who reported hearing shots. The woman, said to be in her 20s, was found in the foyer. Officers also recovered the murder weapon.

Neither the victim's name nor her relationship with Spector has been released.

Police acknowledged that there was a third person in Spector's home at the time but declined to elaborate. A black Mercedes, its driver's door ajar, was parked in the driveway and encircled in police tape.

Spector's friend, attorney Marvin Mitchelson, told the Associated Press that the producer lived alone and didn't have a girlfriend.

Representatives for Spector could not immediately be reached for comment.

Neighbors are stumped by the recent turn of events, telling local TV reporters they rarely heard a peep from the grounds of Spector's million-dollar mansion since he bought the place in 1998. "He seemed like a quiet man," nearby resident Steve Morales told a local television station. "Only seen him maybe four or five times...nice car. Other than that, don't know a thing about him, other than he was a record producer or something like that."

That summary of Spector's credits is a bit of an understatement. The eccentric music man is widely considered one of the greatest music-makers of all time, producing hits throughout the 1960s and '70s for the likes of the Ronettes, Ike and Tina Turner, the Beatles, the Righteous Brothers, the Crystals and even the Ramones. He was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 1989 for his famed Wall of Sound effect that involved overdubbing the voices of several musicians with instruments and other sounds to create a massive roar, which changed the face of pop music.

Spector was a millionaire by age 21, and his music career exploded after he came onto the music scene as a member of the band the Teddy Bears (best known for the Spector-penned "To Know Him Is to Love Him," inspired by an inscription on his father's grave) and then transitioned to producing. Among the hits he crafted: the Crystals' "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me"; the Ronettes' "Be My Baby" and "Walking in the Rain"; Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" and "(Today I Met) the Boy I'm Gonna Marry"; the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" and "Unchained Melody" and "Ebb Tide"; Ike and Tina Turner's "River Deep--Mountain High." He was tapped by the Beatles to helm their Let It Be album and later oversaw solo hits for John Lennon and George Harrison.

Spector has also gained notoriety for bizarre behavior. He made headlines for battles with drugs and for the vicious teams of guard dogs and bodyguards securing his fortress-like home. For a time, he sported a gun on his hip and a giant cross on his neck wherever he went. He also allegedly pulled a gun on the members of the Ramones during the recording of their End of Century, the last album he made. For years, he engaged in near-psychotic and abusive behavior, according to Rolling Stone.

In a 1977 sit-down with the Los Angeles Times, Spector said, "It had to stop. Being the rich millionaire in the mansion and then dressing up as Batman. I have to admit I did enjoy it to a certain extent. But I began to realize it was very unhealthy."

Mitchelson told the Associated Press that Spector had gotten himself together and was trying to put together a movie on his life. "His mental state has been great--very rational, very together," the lawyer said.

Though he has tried to shun the media spotlight, Spector recently made headlines (again) for an ongoing lawsuit with the Ronettes. The girl group, which included his ex-wife Ronnie Greenfield, sued him for cheating them out of profits in the late-1980s when their recording of "Be My Baby" was revived on the soundtrack for Dirty Dancing and in ads for Levi Jeans and American Express. In October, a New York state appeals court sided with Spector and tossed a $3 million verdict the Ronettes were awarded by a lower court.

(Originally published at 11:25 a.m. PT.)