Scott Walker, whose baritone timbre brought a touch of the baroque to sixties pop, has died at the age of 76.
His initial commercial success with The Walker Brothers made him one of the most distinctive voices of the sixties, but his influence stretched on much further, especially through the Scott I-Scott IV solo albums as he combined an ever-growing enigmatic approach to the music industry with increasing experimentation and widening of sonic horizons.
It was his label 4ad who confirmed the news on their social media accounts, no cause of death has yet been given. “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Scott Walker,” their statement reads. “Scott was 76 years old and is survived by his daughter, Lee, his granddaughter, Emmi-Lee, and his partner Beverly.”
“For half a century, the genius of the man born Noel Scott Engel has enriched the lives of thousands, first as one third of The Walker Brothers, and later as a solo artist, producer and composer of uncompromising originality.”
“Scott Walker has been a unique and challenging titan at the forefront of British music: audacious and questioning, he has produced works that dare to explore human vulnerability and the godless darkness encircling it.”