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

Scott Walker
(Image credit: C. Maher / Daily Express / Getty Images)

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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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.