Scott Walker, pop heartthrob and experimental music trailblazer, dead at 76

Beloved experimental singer-songwriter Scott Walker has died at the age of 76, his label, 4AD, announced Monday morning. Walker, who was born in Ohio as Noel Scott Engel, first came to fame in the 1960s with the Walker Brothers group, reaching number one on the U.K. charts with "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" and "Make It Easy on Yourself." Walker subsequently released 14 solo albums, including the self-titled and critically-acclaimed series Scott, Scott 2, Scott 3, and Scott 4.

"Walker’s career was a storied one," reflected Pitchfork. "He started as a session musician, made huge hits with the Walker Brothers, became the object of screaming teenage fans' adulation, and, later in life, became an enigmatic pioneer of dark and experimental avant-garde."

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke called Walker "a huge influence on Radiohead and myself, showing me how I could use my voice and words." Walker is also known for his film scores, including, most recently, the music he wrote for Vox Lux, starring Natalie Portman. Listen to his 2006 album The Drift, which AllMusic writes will "make your body temperature drop a few degrees," below. Jeva Lange

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