Photos of Phil Spector’s Los Angeles-area mansion, where he murdered actress Lana Clarkson in 2003, have surfaced in the wake of the music producer’s death.
Spector died Saturday at a Stockton, California hospital, according to California state prison officials, after recently testing positive for coronavirus.
He was incarcerated in 2009 for the February 3, 2003 shooting murder of Clarkson, who had appeared in B-movies including Barbarian Queen and Amazon Women on the Moon.
According to witnesses, Clarkson had agreed, somewhat unwillingly, to accompany Spector back to his mansion from the House of Blues in West Hollywood, where she worked. Shortly after their arrival, Spector’s Brazilian chauffeur reported seeing the gun-mad music producer covered in blood outside the Alhambra home.
Spector, with blood on his hands, told the driver: ‘I think I killed somebody.’
His lawyers went on to claim that Clarkson was suicidal and had shot herself while sitting on Spector’s fake Louis XIV chair. According to his defense team, the bullet was fired at the moment the actress ‘kissed the gun’.
Doctors found bruising on Clarkson’s tongue suggesting Spector had forced a gun in her mouth and fired off a shot.
The latest: Photos of Phil Spector’s Los Angeles-area mansion, where he murdered actress Lana Clarkson in 2003, have surfaced in the wake of the music producer’s death
Spector, who was known in the music industry for perfecting the Wall of Sound recording method, bought the home in the Alhambra neighborhood in Los Angeles in 1988.
The nine-bedroom, 8,600 sq. foot home abode, which was named Pyrenees Castle, was kept secure by a large gated entrance.
The mansion was built and decorated with medieval effects, with multiple suits of armor on display.
The shots were taken in 2010 following Spector’s 2009 conviction. An ornate wooden bureau was where Spector kept the firearm he used to shoot Clarkson. The area also housed four framed shots of Spector with his ex-wife Rachelle Short.
The home has 35 total rooms, including one earmarked for iguanas, where he housed three lizards, named Godzilla, Laurel, and Hardy. The home also includes 10 bathrooms, a pair of kitchens, four garages and a hair salon.
The medieval-themed home includes multiple suits of armor
An ornate wooden bureau included a table with four framed shots of Spector with his ex-wife Rachelle Short; it was where Spector kept the firearm he used to shoot Clarkson
Spacious: The nine-bedroom, 8,600 sq. foot home abode has 35 total rooms
Secure: The Alhambra home was kept secure by a large gate
Some of the areas, such as an office and a refrigerator, were cluttered with magnets, images and memorabilia. Inside the house, a short table was decorated with trophies, plaques and a lamp.
Music memorabilia seen in the southern California home include a guitar once owned by John Lennon, a platinum record and a vintage jukebox.
Other rooms seen in the shots include a stocked bar and a gaming room complete with a billiards table.
A set of sculptures were placed outside the estate.
Also released were a number of photos of Spector’s ex-wife Rachelle Short, who he married in September of 2006 while he was free on $1million bail; he filed to divorce from her in 2016.
Short, a singer and actress, told The Sun,’ I loved my husband and was proud to be his wife and it was unfortunate circumstances which led to this situation.
Music memorabilia including a guitar once owned by John Lennon, a platinum record and a vintage jukebox were seen in the Southern California home
Messy: An office in the home, as well as a refrigerator, were cluttered with magnets, images and memorabilia
She said of the home: ‘I’ve lived there 17 years and have done a lot of work to restore it. There was a lot of love that went into making that house a home, I have such a personal attachment and love for it. But sometimes you have to move on and create new memories.’
Clarkson’s mother Donna issued a statement in the wake of Spector’s death, saying, ‘Lana Clarkson was a warm, compassionate, kind, loving woman who would be 58 years old now.
‘Her energy, brightness and love of life have sustained her family since her murder 18 years ago.’
Spector maintained that Clarkson had shot herself, an argument that was supported by the testimony of key defense witness Punkin Laughlin, Clarkson’s best friend for 10 years.
Other rooms seen in the shots include a stocked bar and a gaming room complete with a billiards table
A set of sculptures were placed in the outdoors of the estate
In a bombshell interview, Laughlin maintained that Clarkson was in a ‘fragile’ and ‘suicidal’ state in the days before her death.
And repeating what she told a Los Angeles jury in 2007, she told DailyMail.com: ‘Two days before she died Lana called me and was crying her eyes out for an hour. She said, ‘I’m going to get a f**king gun and blow my f**king brains out. I don’t want to live anymore. And two days later she’s dead with a gunshot wound to the mouth.’
The prosecution, pointing out to the court that Clarkson had bought multiple pairs of shoes in the days before her death, argued that she was not suffering from suicidal ideation.
According to expert testimony people rarely kill themselves on the spur of the moment, and almost never at the home of a stranger.
The jury also heard from several other women who claimed Spector had threatened them with guns in the past when they had spurned his advances.
When he was finally indicted for murder, Spector lashed out at authorities, angrily telling reporters: ‘The actions of the Hitler-like DA and his storm trooper henchmen are reprehensible, unconscionable and despicable.’
Inside the house, a short table was decorated with trophies, plaques and a lamp
A number of personalized items, including director’s chairs, sat in a room in the home
Awards and accolades from Spector’s time in the music industry were on display at the home
Flashback: Also released were a number of photos of Spector’s ex-wife Rachelle Short, who he married in September of 2006 while he was on bail
Short told The Sun of her relationship with Spector,’ I loved my husband and was proud to be his wife and it was unfortunate circumstances which led to this situation’
The former couple was seen celebrating the holidays in this shot
Missed: Lana Clarkson’s mother Donna issued a statement in the wake of Spector’s death, saying, ‘Lana Clarkson was a warm, compassionate, kind, loving woman who would be 58 years old now. Her energy, brightness and love of life have sustained her family since her murder 18 years ago’
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