Hugely influential pop star Scott Walker has died at the age
of 76, his record label 4AD has confirmed. Walker rose to fame as a member of
pop-sensation The Walker Brothers before embarking on a solo career path during
which he experimented with an array of music genres.
“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,” – 4AD said in a statement. “[A]udacious
and questioning, he has produced works that dare to explore human vulnerability
and the godless darkness encircling it.”
Scott Walker and his music influenced numerous artists who
grew up listening to his work including Jarvis Cocker, Antony Hegarty, Thom
Yorke and Radiohead, David Bowie, Arctic Monkeys, and many more. Following the
news of Walker’s death, some of them went on social media to pay their respect.
Walker started his music with The Walker Brothers, with whom
he released a number of successful albums in the mid-’60s and mid-’70s. In
parallel to working with the band, he also recorded several solo albums which
were hugely popular in Great Britain.
In later years, Walker worked as a music producer and collaborated with a number of acts including Pulp, Ute Lemper, and Bat for Lashes. He also worked on music for several movies including The Childhood of a Leader and Vox Lux.
