cott Walker, the American singer who attained massive success as a pop star in England before veering off into avante-garde music, has died, according to his label, 4AD. He was 76; no cause or date of death was immediately announced.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Scott Walker,” a post on the label’s website reads. “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.”

With a deep and resonant voice, Walker first rose to game as the frontman of the Walker Brothers with hits like “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine.” He began releasing solo albums in 1967 in a baroque, orchestral style that has influenced countless artists
in the years since, ranging from David Bowie and Radiohead to albums as recent as Karen O and Danger Mouse’s “Lux Prima,” released just last week. While his increasingly challenging music cost him many fans, apart from a Walker Brothers reunion in
the mid-1970s the singer never looked back, releasing albums that were individual and esoteric by any standard. In recent years he collaborated with artists ranging from arch pop combo Pulp and Seattle drone-metal outfit Sunn O))) to British avant-pop
singer Bat for Lashes.

Ray Arthur

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