While the cause of death is still unknown, Reed had undergone a liver transplant in May.
Louis Allan "Lou" Reed was born in Brooklyn in 1942. He earned his undergraduate degree from Syracuse University, where he studied journalism, creative writing, and hosted a late-night radio program.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Reed moved to New York City in 1964, where he began working as a songwriter for Pickwick Records. After befriending John Cale, Reed and two of his college friends, Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker, started The Velvet Underground. With the help of Andy Warhol and German songwriter Nico, the band debuted with The Velvet Underground & Nico.
The core foursome would become know for such melancholic songs as "Sunday Morning" and "Sweet Jane." And while the band was unstable and flew well below the radar at the time, The Velvet Underground would eventually become one of the greatest musical influencers and cult favorites of the 20th century. In 1996, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In the early 1970s, Reed broke out on his own and into the mainstream with his hit single "Walk on the Wild Side." Despite a few stand-out commercial successes, Reed's career followed the jagged trajectory of his own musical curiosities that would often lead him far from his rock roots and into such musical genres as classical, comedy, and ambient noise.
But Reed eventually returned to rock with 2011's Lulu, a collaboration with Metallica, which divided fans and critics alike. Reed, forever a curmudgeon toward the press and his critics, told The Telegraph in 2011 that his work was never about what other people wanted anyway.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Lauren Hansen produces The Week’s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.
5 exclusive cartoons about Trump and Putin negotiating peace
The AI arms race
Why Jannik Sinner's ban has divided the tennis world
