Ronnie Spector, iconic leader of the Ronettes, dies: he was 78 years old

Ronnie Spector, iconic leder of the Ronettes, the female group famous in the 60s with hits such as ‘Be My Baby’, ‘Baby I Love You’ and ‘Walking in the Rain’, died at 78. A statement from her family claims that the artist passed away “after a brief battle with cancer”. Born in Manhattan in 1943, Ronnie Spector, aka Veronica Yvette Bennett, became famous at the age of 18 forming the Renettes group with her older sister Estelle Bennett and cousin Nedra Talley. In 1968 she married Phil Spector, a pioneer of the “wall of sound” recording technique. They were married for six years and adopted three children together before the divorce. In his memoirs, Ronnie wrote that Phil was a violent and possessive man, keeping a coffin in the basement of their home to let the singer know he would kill her if she left him. In 1972, she ran away from home barefoot. During their marriage the group recorded the hits ‘Be My Baby’ and ‘Baby I Love You’. The band later sued him for unpaid royalties. Phil Spector died in prison in 2021, from complications related to Covid, while he was serving a sentence for murder.