LOU REED, whose band the VELVET UNDERGROUND became one of the most influential in rock by fusing art and music in collaboration with artist Andy Warhol in 1960s New York, died on Sunday, October 27th at the age of 71.

Author, musician, and host of the Glory Is Noise online radio show Joel Gausten has posted the following tribute to Reed:

"Lou Reed was a special kind of man: The junkie who 'made it', the unlikeliest of all Rock ‘N’ Roll legends. His song with lyrics about 'giving head' is accepted as Classic Rock by a society that shudders over the thought of a pretty blonde girl licking a sledgehammer in her music video. He was the subject of multiple print, TV and Internet articles by journalists who still sought his company despite the fact that he was a cantankerous cunt. His truest 'Pop' moment with the Velvets, 'Who Loves The Sun', is driven by bitterness and despair. He joined forces with the biggest Metal band in the world and succeeded in alienating TWO distinct audiences along the way. (That’s a true gift.) He could barely hold a note, but created a bulletproof discography that will forever change – and perhaps even save – the lives of those who take the time to experience it."
"Lou's greatest gift to the world was his ability to showcase its undeniable ugliness. In the process, he created a body of work that exposed a side of existence very rarely explored – let alone celebrated – in mainstream culture. He was everything that a typical celebrity isn't, which of course made him the coolest guy in the room. We lost one of the real ones today. And during those nights when I find myself drifting into my own darkness at 3:00am, I know whose voice will be coming from my speakers. As always."

An admitted hard drinker and drug user for many years, Reed underwent a liver transplant earlier this year at the Cleveland Mayo Clinic, his wife, Laurie Anderson, told The Times of London, after he had canceled five California concert dates scheduled in April.

“I am a triumph of modern medicine,” Reed posted on his website on June 1, 2013, without directly acknowledging the transplant. “I look forward to being on stage performing, and writing more songs to connect with your hearts and spirits and the universe well into the future.”

In 2011, Lou Reed teamed up METALLICA for the Lulu album that received mixed reaction around the world.