The legendary Lou Reed dies at 71

Hard to even type the words, but the legendary and visionary artist Lou Reed has died today at the age of 71. The cause of death has not been reported, however Reed had undergone a liver transplant earlier this year and several reports seem to indicate he died from complications of the transplant. Reed's final goodbye was posted on his Facebook/Twitter account this morning at 6:53 AM, which was a photo titled "The Door."  Reed is survived by his wife Laurie Anderson.

Velvet Underground, led by Reed, was one of the most influential bands in history. As Greg Kot, writer for the Chicago Tribune stated today, the Velvet Underground directly influenced more music in the last 40 years than any rock band. And it'd be hard to argue with that statement.

It was once said that only 30 thousand copies of Velvet Underground's debut album Velvet Underground & Nico, were sold in the first few years after its release, but all 30 thousand people in possession of the album went on to form bands. Though the record certainly wasn't a commercial success, it was an album ahead of its time, and 40 years later, the album is widely considered one of the most important, influential, and greatest albums ever. The subsequent VU records are also held in high esteem in the world of music, as are many of Reed's solo albums, particularly his rock opera Berlin (Lulu, not so much).

The world has indeed lost a true legend.  R.I.P. Lou Reed. :(



Rolling Stone was the first to break the news with their report on Reed's death which you can read here.



Many artists have spent the day paying tribute to Reed. Spin compiled tweets & Facebook postings from John Cale, David Bowie, Kim Gordon, and others here. Meanwhile, Morrissey posted comments about the passing of Reed on his official site. Even the Vatican (or at least Cardinal Ravasi) feels the great loss of Reed:

Oh, it's such a perfect day I'm glad I spend it with you Oh, such a perfect day You just keep me hanging on (Lou Reed)
— Gianfranco Ravasi (@CardRavasi) October 28, 2013

Neil Young, My Morning Jacket, Elvis Costello & others paid tribute to Reed at the Bridge School Benefit on October 28th. Check out their performance of "Oh Sweet Nuthin"



Obviously there's tons of coverage on Reed's death, and more tributes are pouring in every hour.  So far, some of the best coverage is in The Chicago Tribune - read their write up/obit here, and check out their list of the 10 essential Reed recordings here.

Website The Daily Dot dug up Lou Reed's recent (verified) Spotify playlists, so if you're interested in what he had been rocking out to lately, click here.



Published on October 27th, 2013 @ 10:09 PM. Updated October 28th, 2013 to add Bridge School Benefit video