Walter Scott Jr, who led R&B group the Whispers as a vocalist with his twin “Scotty,” died Thursday. He was 81.
“We all are incredibly heartbroken,” wrote Desirae Benson, who worked as a publicist for the Whispers, on Facebook. “His voice, presence, and contributions helped shape a musical legacy that touched millions. Walter’s impact on the industry and in the hearts of fans will never be forgotten… We lost a legend!“
According to reports from Billboard and Los Angeles Sentinel, Scott died after a six-month battle with cancer.
The Whispers got their start back in 1963 in San Francisco, originally made up of twin brothers Walter and Wallace “Scotty” Scott, along with Marcus Hutson, Gordy Harmon, and Nicholas Caldwell. A decade in, Harmon (who died in 2023) left the group and Leaveil Degree stepped in to complete the lineup. Hutson died in 2000 and Caldwell died in 2016.
The Whispers dropped more than two dozen albums, many of which landed on the Billboard 200. Two of the albums, 1980’s The Whispers (their first to go platinum) and 1982’s Love Is Where You Find It, hit Number One on the R&B albums chart.
The band’s breakthrough came in 1969 with “The Time Has Come,” followed by their first R&B Top 10 hit, “Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong,” in 1970. They stayed on the charts through the Eighties with hits such as “And the Beat Goes On,” which Will Smith sampled on “Miami,” and their massive 1987 hit “Rock Steady,” produced by Babyface. (50 Cent, Mobb Deep, and J. Cole are among the artists to sample the Whispers’ classic sound on their music.)
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Walter and Wallace Scott were both born in Forth Worth, Texas, and moved to Los Angeles in 1959. There’s where the twins helped form the Whispers in 1963. Walter served in the Vietnam War and later returned to the group in 1969.
“Love For Walter Scott of The Whispers…one of the most trusted voices in 70s soul music,” wrote Questlove on Instagram. “He along [with] his twin Wallace ‘Scotty’ Scott rode the thin line of the common velvet smooth voice you were familiar with.”
