Lou Reed Velvet Underground Leader, Rock Pioneer, Dead at 71 (VIDEO)

loureed-dead

Horrible news. Legendary rock performer/singer/songwriter GENIUS LEGEND Lou Reed died today. Via Rollingstone

Lou Reed, a massively influential songwriter and guitarist who helped shape nearly fifty years of rock music, died today. The cause of his death has not yet been released, but Reed underwent a liver transplant in May.

With the Velvet Underground in the late Sixties, Reed fused street-level urgency with elements of European avant-garde music, marrying beauty and noise, while bringing a whole new lyrical honesty to rock & roll poetry. As a restlessly inventive solo artist, from the Seventies into the 2010s, he was chameleonic, thorny and unpredictable, challenging his fans at every turn. Glam, punk and alternative rock are all unthinkable without his revelatory example. “One chord is fine,” he once said, alluding to his bare-bones guitar style. “Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you’re into jazz.”

RIP Lou. You were a major influence on my rock and roll sensibility. Thoughts and condolences to Lou’s friends and family, including wife, artist. Laurie Anderson.

The legions of artists who were influenced by Lou are also in mourning today. He’ll be missed.

A few of Lou’s iconic songs:

Walk on the Wild Side

Sweet Jane – Live

Heroin – Velvet Underground

Perfect Day – Live

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