Phil Spector has 'lost the ability to speak' in prison through illness

Phil Spector has reportedly remained silent for nine months, as he battles illness in prison - where he is serving a 19 year sentence for murder.

Spector, who is currently imprisioned in Stockton California, lost his voice after being moved into a medical facility.

Spector’s lawyer Chuck Sevilla told the The Mirror: "He was moved within the last year to a new prison hospital in Stockton. He’s very frail. I believe he is able to walk, he’s lost a lot of weight, he’s been unable to speak for nine months due to polyps in his throat which they keep telling him they’re going perform surgery on, which they have not done.

"That’s just one of his many maladies. He’s in his 70s and he was not in the best condition going in."

Sevilla expressed concern for his client's safety: "The prison won’t give information about his medical condition. We are trying to get his needs attended to. I will be writing the warden today to try and get that done. Can you imagine being in a prison and you need help and you can’t speak? It’s very dangerous."

The music producer, famed for his 'wall of sound' approach and helping to shape classic records by the likes of The Beatles, Ike & Tina Turner, John Lennon, The Ramones and Leonard Cohen, was jailed for 19 years in 2009 after being found guilty for the murder of singer Lana Clarkson.