LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Testimony in the Phil Spector murder trial drew to a close here Monday as a senior member of the music producer's defense team resigned, citing a difference of opinion with the rock legend.

Jurors who have sat through four months of witness testimony at Los Angeles Superior Court will now return to court on September 5, when closing arguments are scheduled to get underway.

Monday's hearing at Los Angeles Superior Court began with Bruce Cutler, the New York lawyer who famously represented mafia boss John Gotti, telling Judge Larry Paul Fidler he could "no longer effectively represent" Spector.

Asked by Fidler if he agreed to Cutler's withdrawal as the long-running trial enters its final weeks, Spector replied: "That is correct."

Spector, 67, who is accused of murdering B-movie actress Lana Clarkson at his mansion in Los Angeles in February 2003, changed legal teams several times during the build-up to the trial, which got underway in April.

Cutler had been expected to lead Spector's defense but has been sidelined since early in the trial following a theatrical opening statement and an aggressive cross-examination that led to a rebuke by Fidler.

The lawyer also missed several weeks of testimony because he was filming a reality television show called "Jury Duty."

Shortly before leaving court on Monday, Cutler said: "Hopefully you will get to see me work rather than sit."

In brief comments to reporters outside the court-room during a lunch recess, Spector said there was no animosity between himself and Cutler.

"I told him I thought it would be best to remove himself from the case and he agreed," Spector said.

With testimony in the trial now complete, Fidler will hear prosecution and defense motions before the jury returns for closing arguments next week.

The final arguments should last around two days, Fidler said. He will then give the jury its instructions, which should take a further one to two days before they can begin their deliberations.

Spector is regarded as one of the most influential figures in rock-pop music history. In the early 1960s he was responsible for hits including "Da Doo Ron Ron," "Be My Baby, Baby" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin.'"

Famed for his work with The Beatles, Tina Turner, The Righteous Brothers, The Ronettes and The Ramones, he faces 15 years to life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder.

Spector's defense team claims Clarkson killed herself accidentally in the foyer of the rock legend's home on February 3, 2003.

Clarkson starred in 1987's "Amazon Women on the Moon" and 1991's "The Haunting of Morella," but her career had stalled at the time of her death.