Compiled from News Agencies
LOS ANGELES - The ex model/actress found slain in music producer Phil Spector's mansion was a cult figure in B-movies who sold her pinups on the Internet and worked as a ticket collector at a blues club as her career faded, associates said Tuesday.

Lana Clarkson, 40, was discovered by B-movie king Roger Corman and starred in a series of films including "Barbarian Queen," a character Corman said was the model for TV's "Xena: Warrior Princess." She modeled lingerie for catalogues in 1985-1988, appearing on the cobver of "Woman's World" in April 1987.

"Lana was a beautiful woman, a wonderful actress, and an adventurous spirit," Corman said Tuesday in a statement. "Always brave, she performed all of her own stunts, and showed unusual fortitude and athleticism in her horseback riding and fight sequences."

Spector was arrested before dawn Monday for investigation of first-degree murder after Clarkson's body was found in the foyer of his mansion, about 15 miles northeast of Los Angeles. He was freed Monday night after posting $1 million bail. No charges have been filed.

Lt. Dan Rosenberg said deputies found the weapon used in the slaying but declined to say where in the house it was located. The call reporting that shots had been fired came from inside the residence, he said.

The investigation into the slaying shows that Spector and Clarkson met at a nightclub in Los Angeles, said Craig Harvey of the Los Angeles County coroner's office. No further details were immediately available.

Clarkson had her own Web site and a company called Living Doll Productions. She appeared in TV commercials and was a guest at comic book and pop culture conventions dressed as "Barbarian Queen."

She began working last month at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip where she was a ticket collector and hostess, friends and associates said.

"She wasn't thrilled to have people from the industry see her doing that, but she thought it was a good step to get back into the mainstream," said her neighbor, Paul Pietrewicz.

Julie Jungwirth said she's rented a one-story house in the Venice area of Los Angeles to Clarkson for over two years. Clarkson would attach a letter with every rent payment, she said.

"In the last letter, she apologized for sending the rent in late. She said last year was not so great for her and ended it by saying 2003 will be better. It's so sad to think about that," Jungwirth said.

Spector's lawyer, Robert Shapiro, once an attorney for O.J. Simpson, declined requests for comment from The Associated Press. Spector's next court appearance was set for March 3.