Music producer Phil Spector has reportedly not spoken in nine months as he battles illness in prison, where he is serving a 19 year sentence for murder. Spector was jailed in 2009 and is currently serving his time at the California Health Care Facility in Stockton, California where his situation is described as “very dangerous.” The Mirror reports that Spector lost his voice at the start of the year after being moved into the medical facility from the Corcoran prison.

Spector’s lawyer Chuck Sevilla told the tabloid: “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, who communicates with his client through hand written letters, expressed his concern for Spector’s safety in his current condition: “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.”

A spokesperson for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation issued a “no comment” when approached by the publication.

Phil Spector made his name with his ‘wall of sound’ production technique and produced The Beatles album ‘Let It Be’ in 1970. He also worked with artists including John Lennon, The Ronettes and The Ramones before being sentenced to prison for the murder of cocktail waitress Lana Clarkson five years ago.