Lou Reed

Lewis Allen Reed, always known as Lou, was born in Freeport (Long Island) on March 2, 1942. From a very young age he was a great rock fan, and already in his student days he joined several bands such as The Shades, who recorded a single.

In 1964, Lou Reed co-founded and became the frontman for the band The Velvet Underground, which never had massive success but always became a cult group and is considered one of the most influential in rock history. for its experimental and alternative spirit.

After leaving the group, and spending a sabbatical dedicated to painting, the musician made his solo debut with an album entitled simply with his name, Lou Reed , which was a flop. He then released the legendary Transformer, a glam-rock album produced by David Bowie , which includes his best-known songs, such as “Vicious”, “Perfect Day” and the legendary “Walk on the Wild Side”.

Since then he has released another 21 studio albums, including “Lulu”, recorded with Metallica. Reed has occasionally worked as an actor, since his debut in 1980 with Robert M. Young ‘s One Trick Pony , in which he played a producer with whom the leading man, fellow musician Paul Simon , dealt, who played a rising star in search of of success.

His best-known role among moviegoers is that of the man with the strange glasses in Blue in the Face , written and directed by Paul Auster and Wayne Wang , who also took advantage of the filming to film Blue in the Face , based on improvisations , which also had with the participation of the rocker. For his part, Wim Wenders recruited him to appear briefly in So Far So Close! . Reed also directed the 2010 documentary Red Shirley , in which he interviewed his cousin, who was turning 100. In addition, his musical themes have been part of the soundtrack of more than 150 films.

Reed was survived by his wife, singer and violinist Laurie Anderson.