Spector was serving a 19 year jail sentence when he died Saturday, January 17, 2020. Twitter quickly reacted to his death, with many users noting that although Spector was a prolific musical talent, his murder conviction should not be forgotten. "We're all flawed. We're not all murderers. Talent shouldn't be an excuse to minimize a serious crime," one popular tweet reads in response to a headline that simply called him "flawed."
In fact, it seems many social media users are unimpressed with reporting that downplays Spector's crime in favor of his talent in the wake of his death. For instance, one Twitter user called out the BBC News headline about Spector's death, noting, "I thought I was the only one who found it odd that @BBCNews headlined #PhilSpector's death as the 'jailed music producer' rather than 'the murderer Phil Spector.' Makes it even more odd given that he died in jail rather than whilst actively employed as a Music Producer."
