Walter Scott Jr. died at the age of 81 on Thursday, June 26 after a battle with cancer.

The R&B icon gained fame as a founding member of the group The Whispers, known for hits like “And the Beat Goes On” in 1979 and “Rock Steady” in 1987.

According to multiple media outlets, including Billboard and the Los Angeles Sentinel, he died six months after he was diagnosed with cancer.

He was in Northridge, California, surrounded by his family at the time of his passing.

Scott, as one of the original founders of The Whispers, helped the group make their mark in R&B by achieving 15 Top 10 hits on Billboard’s R&B chart over the years.

Their greatest hits, And the Beat Goes On, topped the chart in 1980, while Rock Steady also reached No. 1 status in 1987.

Walter Scott Jr. died at the age of 81 on Thursday, June 26 after a battle with cancer; pictured August 2023 in Stockbridge, Georgia

He died six months after he was diagnosed with cancer; pictured 1984 in Rockford, Illinois

The Whispers also landed eight of their R&B records on the Top 10 R&B albums chart. 

The band’s music was widely sampled by many contemporary hip-hop artists in later years, including 50 Cent, Mobb Deep, J. Cole and Will Smith.

Smith used The Whispers’ smash hit song, And the Beat Goes On, in his track Miami, which was released in the late ’90s.

Scott was born in Texas in 1944, but his family later relocated to Los Angeles in his early years.

In 1963, while residing there, he and his brother, Wallace Scott, along with Nicholas Caldwell, Marcus Hutson, and Gordy Harmon, decided to create an R&B quintet named The Whispers.

The group spent time in San Francisco before Scott was drafted to serve in the Vietnam War. 

Scott eventually went on hiatus from the group when he enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces, serving as a signaleer until he rejoined the group in 1969.

In 1980, the group’s collective career took off as several of their songs released that year went gold and even platinum. 

Scott was one of the original founding members of the iconic R&B vocal group The Whispers, who cemented their place in R&B history after 15 of their songs landed in the Top 10 of Billboard’s R&B chart over the years; pictured 1980 from left to right: Walter Scott Jr., Marcus Hutson, Wallace ‘Scotty’ Scott, Leaveil Degree and Nicholas Caldwell

Their greatest hits, And the Beat Goes On, topped the chart in 1980, while Rock Steady also reached No. 1 status in 1987; pictured March 2022 in Atlanta

The group spent time in San Francisco before Scott was drafted to serve in the Vietnam War. Scott eventually went on hiatus from the group when he enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces, serving as a signaleer until he rejoined the group in 1969; pictured 1985 in Chicago, Illinois

In 1980, the group’s collective career took off as several of their songs released that year went gold and even platinum; pictured July 2016 in Cincinnati, Ohio

In 1980, the group’s collective career took off as several of their songs released that year went gold and even platinum; pictured 1976 from left to right: Leaveil Degree, Walter Scott, Marcus Hutson, Wallace ‘Scotty’ Scott and Nicholas Caldwell

Over the years, he recorded for multiple record companies, including Soul Train Records, Solar Records and Capital Records. 

They continued performing together throughout the 2000s, and in 2014, The Whispers were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.

Hutson died in 2000, while Caldwell and Harmon died in 2016 and 2023, respectively. 

According to Billboard, Scott is survived by his wife Jan and their two sons, three grandchildren and his twin brother Wallace ‘Scotty’ Scott.