Where are Phil Spector's wives now? How marriages with ‘mad woman’ Rachel Short, Ronnie Spector and Annette Merar ended
Phil Spector, the influential rock ’n’ roll producer — known for the “wall of sound” — has died. He was 81. Popular for chartbuster hits like ‘You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'’, ‘The Long and Winding Road’ and ‘My Sweet Lord’, he produced records for acts such as the Ronettes, the Crystals, and Ike & Tina Turner.
Did you know he also produced the Beatles song ‘Let It Be’? In 1960, he co-founded Philles Records, and at the age of 21, became the youngest ever US label owner. One dubbed the “First Tycoon of Teen”, he had been serving a prison sentence for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson who was shot to death at his home in 2003.
Born in the Bronx as Harvey Phillip Spector on December 26, 1939, he was raised by Jewish parents Benjamin and Bertha Spector. When he was just nine, his father of Russian origin committed suicide and his mother moved the family to Los Angeles to work as a seamstress. On his father's grave, the words — “Ben Spector. Father. Husband. To Know Him Was To Love Him” — were inscribed.
After a life of drug addiction and alcohol-fuelled violence, Spector's death was confirmed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. An official statement read, “California Health Care Facility inmate Phillip Spector was pronounced deceased of natural causes at 6.35 pm on Saturday, January 16, 2021, at an outside hospital. His official cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner in the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office.”
After Clarkson was found dead with a bullet shot to her head, Spector claimed she “kissed the gun”. At first, his case was declared a mistrial but Spector was later convicted of second-degree murder and given a sentence of 19 years to life when four other women claimed he had threatened them with guns in the past. After his death, here's a flashback to the past and a look at his relationships.
Phil Spector and Annette Merar
In 1993, Spector first exchanged vows with Annette Merar — who was lead vocalist of the 1960s pop trio Spectors Three — formed and produced by Spector. Soon after their marriage, he started a record company, Annette Records, in her name.
Like Spector, she attended Fairfax High School and soon became a part of Spector's band. Their meeting blossomed into love and the couple was blessed with a son named Damien. While still married, Spector started having an affair with singer Ronnie Bennett of the Ronnettes, post which the marriage ended.
In 2009, Merar, who was 65 at the time, was reported missing from her home near Van Nuys. An ABC report detailed her identity, saying she was 5 feet 2 inches, 160 pounds and diabetic. Family members told the ABC7 TV station she may exhibit “possible confusion”. At the time, a 2004 message on the Fairfax High School Class of 1961 website read that Merar was a retired teacher and had been living in Valley Glen near Van Nuys with her son.
Phil Spector and Ronnie Spector
Phil Spector and Ronnie Spector's scandalous love story remains a controversial topic. Born as Veronica Bennett, Ronnie was lead singer of the girl group the Ronettes — a music group Spector managed and produced.
Back in 1968, the two got married and adopted a son, Donté Phillip Spector. As a Christmas surprise, Spector got two adopted twins, Louis Phillip Spector and Gary Phillip Spector, without telling her. Spector soon turned into a psychotic who tightly controlled his wife. In her 1990 memoir ‘Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts And Madness’, Ronnie penned down her struggles and confessed how Spector imprisoned her within four walls where she underwent years of psychological torment and torture.
Not only did he forbid her to perform, but didn't let her do the things she wishes. In her book, she narrated how she escaped the mansion barefoot with the help of her mother in 1972. In court documents, she also said Spector threatened to hire a man to kill her. The two divorced in 1974 and Ronnie could never get her claim to fame in the world of pop music.
In an interview with Vice, she said, “It’s a great feeling to be up on stage and know that my ex-husband is in prison. I was in prison when I was in that mansion. I was married for seven years and I went out maybe five times, my whole time in California. I stayed in that mansion like I was in prison, with gates and barb wire around me. Now he's in prison. What goes around comes around.”
His sons Gary and Donté later alleged that they were kept captive as children, and forced to simulate sex acts with Spector's girlfriend. The music mogul had twin children with his girlfriend Janis Zavala, named Nicole Audrey Spector and Phillip Spector, Jr, and the latter died of leukemia on December 25, 1991.
Phil Spector and Rachel Short
Spector's third marriage was to Rachel Short — a former Jerry's Famous Deli waitress — when she was 26. On September 1, 2006, the two exchanged vows while he was still on bail and awaiting trial. Ten years later, in 2016, the two parted ways, citing irreconcilable differences.
According to a TMZ report, Phil said she was spending like a “mad woman” and told the outlet how she bought a $350,000 airplane and was all set to buy a jet next. Spector also said how she bought an Aston Martin and a Ferrari after getting expensive plastic surgery, crazy expensive jewelry and two homes for her mom. Although his net worth at the time was $35 million, Rachel reportedly only gave him a stipend of $300 a month while in jail. Spector also said he wanted his daughter to control his fortune now.
Rachel now shares photos of her luxury vacations on Instagram and has amassed over 153,000 followers online. In one of her latest Instagram photos, she wrote, “Sometimes, you must fly solo in order to get to where you need to be. Embrace the journey and work on yourself, for yourself, by yourself!”