Lou Reed's 'Walk On The Wild Side' Comes To An End, Legendary Rocker Dies At 71
Oct. 27 2013, Published 2:08 p.m. ET
He helped shape the entire catalogue of rock music -- and the music industry is today mourning the death of Lou Reed.
A singer, songwriter and guitarist, Reed broke through with the Velvet Underground in the late 1960s, and has been a cult rock hero ever since.
Going solo in the 1970s, he also achieved more commercial, mainstream success with the release of 'Walk on the Wild Side,' even with its reference to oral sex -- something no other singer/songwriter likely could have gotten away with.
- Johnny Depp's Longtime Pal, Legendary Rock N' Roll Guitarist Jeff Beck Dead At 78
- Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s Tell-All Netflix Series Delayed To 2023 After Attacks On ‘The Crown’
- Dianne Feinstein Refuses To Retire Before Her Senate Term Ends In 2024 Despite Colleagues Arguing She Is 'Mentally Unfit To Serve'
Somehow surviving decades of drinking and drugging, Reed continued to perform and record. In 2011, he and Metallica collaborated on an album called Lulu.
Reed underwent a liver transplant in May with his wife Laurie Anderson publicly stating he was so sick before the surgery, she wasn't sure if he'd ever recover.
Reed's cause of death has not yet been released.