Who is Phil Spector’s ex wife Ronnie Spector?
RONNIE Bennett was the second wife of convicted killer and music producer Phil Spector.
Spector died on January 16 from Covid-19 complications four weeks after contracting the bug.
Who is Ronnie Spector?
Veronica “Ronnie” Bennett was born on August 10 1943 in Spanish Harlem, New York City.
She was the lead singer of The Ronettes – a group Spector oversaw and produced.
They had a number of hits in the 1960s including “Be My Baby”, “Baby I Love You” and “The Best Part of Breakin’ Up”.
She has since released a number of studio albums including Siren (1980), Unfinished Business (1987), Something’s Gonna Happen (2003), Last of the Rock Stars (2006), and English Heart (2016).
Ronnie Spector is considered to be the original “bad girl of rock n roll”.
In 2007, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Ronettes.
When was she married to Phil Spector?
During his marriage with first wife Annette Merar, Spector was allegedly having an affair with Ronnie Bennett.
Spector divorced Merar in 1966 and married Ronnie in 1968.
The Ronettes singer took his name and was known as Ronnie Spector.
She alleged in her memoir Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts And Madness that Spector controlled her every move and subjected her to emotional distress while married.
The pair divorced in 1974, with Ronnie reportedly forfeiting all future record earnings because she alleged that Spector threatened her with a “hitman”.
After news of his death broke, she posted on Instagram: “It’s a sad day for music and a sad day for me.
“When I was working with Phil Spector, watching him create in the recording studio, I knew I was working with the very best.
“He was in complete control, directing everyone. So much to love about those days.”
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Does Ronnie Spector have any children?
Phil Spector had three adopted children, Donté Phillip and twins Louis Phillip and Gary Phillip (born May 12, 1966) with ex-wife Ronnie.
Donte, who was born on March 23, 1969, told the Daily Mail that Spector was abusive toward him and his brothers, saying that his relationship with his father was “a thin line between love and hate.”
He also alleged that Spector “locked him and his brothers in their bedrooms with ‘locks on the door.'”
Additionally, Donte claimed he’d left home at the age of 10 after years of abuse.
Ronnie married her second husband in 1982 and the couple have two sons.