He produced one of the last albums by the Beatles, “Let It Be.” During the best days of his career, he produced 25 hits on the Top 40 charts.
He seemed to have it all. He had a lot of money. He was famous. He lived in a mansion that was called Pyrenees Castle in Alhambra, California. But he was anything but happy.
In 2003 an actress was shot to death in his mansion. He was convicted of the crime. He is not eligible for parole until he is 88 years old. HBO made a movie last year about Spector, with Al Pacino playing the lead role.
Spector said to a biographer, “People tell me they idolize me, want to be like me, but I tell them, ‘Trust me, you don’t want my life.’ Because it hasn’t been a very pleasant life. I’ve been a very tortured soul. I have not been at peace with myself. I have not been happy.” (Mick Brown, “Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector,” page 389)
We sometimes fool ourselves into thinking that wealth is the most important thing in the world. Or social standing. Or political influence. Or athletic success. Or good looks. But when it’s all said and done, we discover that we have been “chasing the wind,” as the writer of Ecclesiastes wrote about. (Ecclesiastes 2:11)
One day Jesus asked a simple, but profound question, “What shall it profit a person to gain the whole world, and lose his soul?” (Mark 8: 36)
Such an important question. For Phil Spector. For you. For me.