Lou Reed, the singer-songwriter of influential '60s rock band the Velvet Underground and the solo artist, who tackled themes of drug use, prostitution and depression in his songs, has died at the age of 71.
The 'Walk on the Wild Side' singer apparently died of liver disease in New York. He had received a liver transplant in May.
Though the Velvet Underground were not a commercial success, they went on to have a massive influence on the rock scene and Reed's evocative poetry has a lot to do with it.
After the Velver Underground disbanded, Reed went on to have a long innings as a solo artist, a career that he held on to from the seventies till his death.
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed was born in Brooklyn, in 1942. He was a fan of doo-wop and early rock & roll. Reed also took formative inspiration during his studies at Syracuse University with the poet Delmore Schwartz, according to Rolling Stone.
After college, Reed worked as a staff songwriter for Pickwick Records.
In the mid-Sixties, Reed befriended Welsh musician John Cale and they went on to for a band called the Primitives. The name of the band was later changed to the Warlocks.
After meeting guitarist Sterling Morrison and drummer Maureen Tucker, they became the Velvet Underground which was produced by Andy Warhol. Their debut 'The Velvet Underground & Nico' described the bohemian New York side.
The band's three subsequent albums were White Light/White Heat, The Velvet Underground and Loaded were similarly ignored at the time of their release but helped push them to iconic status by finding popularity in later generations.
