Walter Adams died at home of pancreatic cancer on September 8, 1998. Soon after his death, the former army cadet drill field west of the Music Building, from which the Spartan Marching Band steps off to march to the stadium on football Saturdays, was renamed from Landon Field (after the nearby residence hall) to Walter Adams Field. A commemorative garden, plaque and park bench, nestled at the edge of the field midway between Cowles House and the Music Building, were later added.