Phil Spector, the murderous music producer who killed actress Lana Clarkson in 2003, once also pulled a gun on Cher. In her memoir, Cher: The Memoir, Part One, the icon details a harrowing moment between her and Spector.
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After Cher had finished her Dark Lady album in 1974, her at-the-time boyfriend David Geffen set her up with Phil Spector to work together. She wrote that Spector wanted her and Harry Nilsson to record a "guide vocal" on "A Love Like Yours," a song by Martha and the Vandellas.
Spector claimed he'd have John Lennon review the song.
It all seemed to be going so well until Spector double-crossed both Cher and Nilsson.
Spector Breaks Record Contracts, Then Pulls Revolver On Cher
Phil Spector decided to release the single in Europe illegally under his label. This violated both Cher's and Nilsson's record contracts.
In true Cher fashion, the singer drove to Spector's house herself. The pair of them met in a room with a pool table to discuss the problem.
She said to Spector, "Phillip, you know you can't do this. Harry's on one label, I'm on another, and you put it out under yours. What were you thinking?" Apparently, he didn't like that one bit.
"He became agitated and got kind of smart with me — a little too smart like he was trying to intimidate me," Cher wrote of his reaction. "He told me he could do whatever he wanted. He said our record companies could sue him if they didn't like it."
That's when the convicted murderer "picked up a revolver that [Cher] hadn't previously noticed lying on the green felt."
Cher didn't let that intimidate her, however. She shouted to him, "Don't f-k with me, Phillip! You can't pull that s— on me, you a-hole. This is me, Cher, okay? You've known me since I was sixteen and you're going to try to do this with me? Put that f-king gun down and promise me you'll never do anything like this s-t with my music again, okay?"
A haunting moment, knowing what Spector would do decades later.
As she stormed out, apparently he apologized after her. She was confident he wouldn't hurt her.
