Lou Reed

**Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed** (March 2, 1942 – October 27, 2013) was an American rock musician. He was originally from Long Island, New York and spent most of his life in New York City. He is remembered for being in the Velvet Underground, although he also released solo work. He was friends with artist Andy Warhol.

## Early life

**Lewis Allan Reed** was born on March 2, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York City. He studied at Syracuse University. Reed was raised Jewish.

## Career

Reed began his career in 1964. He is perhaps most famous for his songs "Walk on the Wild Side" (about transgender woman Candy Darling and other such people Reed had known), "Perfect Day" (which was covered by many other artists, including Duran Duran and a version used by the BBC) and "Heroin" (an "love song" about the drug. Reed's 1989 album _New York_ drew attention and praise, for its matter-of-fact look at the condition of New York City in the late 1980s.

At the height of his popularity as a solo artist, Reed released one of the least "commercial" recordings ever; his 1975 experimental album _Metal Machine Music_. It was an hour of electric guitar feedback, and not what many people thought was music. The album did not hurt his career in the long run, and it reminded people that Reed was a unique musician.

Because of his song about heroin, Reed was believed to have been addicted to the drug, but this was not the case. He was a longtime user of amphetamines, marijuana and tobacco, but gradually stopped using any drugs. He began exercising more, and enjoyed Tai Chi.

In May 2000, Reed performed before Pope John Paul II at the Great Jubilee Concert in Rome.

Reed was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with The Velvet Underground in 1996 and as a solo artist in 2015.

## Personal life

Reed was bisexual. He was married to Betty Reed during 1973. Then he was married to Sylvia Morales from 1980 until they divorced in 1994. Then he was married to Laurie Anderson, the performance artist and musician, from 2008 until his death in 2013. Reed had no children.

## Death

In April 2013, Reed had a liver transplant. He died from a liver disease on October 27, 2013 in his home in Long Island, New York. He was 71 years old.

Tributes were paid to Reed on Twitter, including those from Miley Cyrus, Salman Rushdie, Samuel L. Jackson, Lenny Kravitz, Ricky Gervais, Ryan Adams, Elijah Wood, and many others. John Cale, his Velvet Underground bandmate, posted on his Facebook: "The world has lost a fine songwriter and poet…I've lost my 'school-yard buddy'".

## Other websites

- Official Lou Reed website
- Comprehensive music biography of Reed by Allmusic
- BBC obituary

## Infobox (musical artist)

- **name**: Lou Reed
- **image**: Lou Reed at the Hop Farm Music Festival.jpg
- **caption**: Lou Reed performing in 2011
- **background**: solo_singer
- **birth name**: Lewis Allan Reed
- **birth place**: Brooklyn, New York City, United States
- **death place**: Southampton, New York, Southampton, Long Island, New York (state), New York, United States
- **instrument**: Vocals, guitar, ostrich guitar, bass, synthesizer, keyboards, piano, harmonica, drums, percussion
- **genre**: noise (music), noise, drone (music), drone, psychedelic rock, folk rock, glam rock, blue-eyed soul, spoken word
- **occupation**: Musician, singer-songwriter, producer, photographer
- **years active**: 1964–2013
- **label**: Matador Records, Matador, MGM Records, MGM, RCA Records, RCA, Sire Records, Sire, Reprise Records, Reprise, Warner Records, Warner Bros.
- **associated acts**: The Velvet Underground, John Cale, Nico, David Bowie, The Killers, Mick Ronson, Gorillaz, Laurie Anderson, Peter Gabriel, Metallica, Metric (band), Metric
- **website**: [http://www.loureed.com/ www.loureed.com]