Shock new photos of Phil Spector show the toll of age and prison on the once flamboyant music legend.

The most recent photo shows a bald, sombre-looking 73-year-old Spector, who is serving 19 years to life for the 2003 killing of actress Lana Clarkson, staring straight into the camera on October 28 last year. An earlier photo of a smiling Spector is dated July 24, 2013.

California Department of Corrections spokeswoman Terry Thornton said the October photo was taken when Spector was moved to the prison system's huge California Heath Care Facility in Stockton.

The centre provides medical and mental health care to the state's sickest inmates, including those with chronic conditions.

Ms Thornton said she could not reveal details of Spector's health because of state medical privacy regulations.