REED Lou

The singer and former Velvet Underground front man Lou Reed has died today, aged 71.

The musician known for songs Perfect Day and Venus in Furs is thought to have died from a liver related disease.

Tributes for the departed musician have flooded in from across the board.

Former band mate in Velvet Underground, John Cale wrote on his website: “The world has lost a fine songwriter and poet…I’ve lost my ‘school-yard buddy.’

In a full statement released by Universal Music, Cale wrote: “"The news I feared the most, pales in comparision to the lump in my throat and the hollow in my stomach,

“Two kids have a chance meeting and 47 years later we fight and love the same way – losing either one is incomprehensible.

“No replacement value, no digital or virtual fill ... broken now, for all time. Unlike so many with similar stories - we have the best of our fury laid out on vinyl, for the world to catch a glimpse. The laughs we shared just a few weeks ago, will forever remind me of all that was good between us."

Others went to twitter to offer their thoughts.

Actor, Liev Schreiber wrote: “I met Lou Reed a couple times. Quiet guy. Dark at times and quick to quarrel but always cool... Insanely cool.”

British author Salman Rushdie wrote:"My friend Lou Reed came to the end of his song. So very sad. But hey, Lou, you'll always take a walk on the wild side. Always a perfect day."

In a statement today, David Bowie simply said: “He was a Master.”

Velvet Underground was managed for a time by artist Andy Warhol. Warhol teamed the band with the German-born singer Nico and produced their debut Album, The Velvet Underground and Nico.

The Album which featured the songs ‘Sunday Morning’ and ‘I’m waiting for the man’ has been hailed as one of the most influential albums of all time.

Reed left Velvet Underground in 1970, shortly before the release of their 5th album.

In 1972, Reed recorded ‘Transformer’ produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson. The album was has perhaps his best known songs ‘Perfect Day’ and ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ and regularly tops music publications best albulm lists.

As a solo artist Reed released 20 studio Albulms and collaborated with several acts. Notably Reed lent his vocals to the Gorillaz track ‘some kind of nature’ in 2012.
Reed is survived by his second wife , the musician Laurie Anderson.