R.I.P.: Walter Scott, co-Founder Of The Whispers

Walter Scott (1944-2025)

Walter Scott, co-founder of the Los Angeles-based R&B group the Whispers alongside his twin brother Wallace, died Thursday at 81, according to Billboard and the Los Angeles Sentinel.

The group, known for 1970s and ‘80s hits like “And the Beat Goes On,” “Rock Steady,” “Lady,” and “Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong,” succumbed to cancer in Northridge after a six-month battle, his family told the Sentinel.

The Whispers’ polished, danceable sound, driven by post-disco rhythms and tight group vocals, landed 15 songs in the Top 10 of Billboard’s R&B chart, with “And the Beat Goes On” (1980) and “Rock Steady” (1987) hitting No. 1. Their music was later sampled by artists like 50 Cent, Mobb Deep, J. Cole, and Will Smith, who built his late-‘90s hit “Miami” on “And the Beat Goes On.”

Questlove, in an Instagram post, called Scott “one of the most trusted voices in ‘70s soul music,” likening him to a “talented uncle” with a dazzling scat-singing style.

Born in 1944 in Fort Worth, Texas, Scott moved to L.A., where he and Wallace began singing at Jordan High School. They formed the Whispers in the mid-‘60s with Nicholas Caldwell, Marcus Hutson, and Gordy Harmon. The group briefly relocated to San Francisco before Scott was drafted into the Vietnam War.