Rock Icon Lou Reed Dead at 71

Lou Reed, a musician, photographer and cultural icon best known as the lead singer of the Velvet Underground, has died. He was 71.

Rolling Stone first reported the news on Sunday. Reed's literary agent, Andrew Wylie, later confirmed the death to The New York Times.

Reed transformed the music scene in the 1960s as part of the Velvet Underground, a band that influenced many later rock acts. They created songs that candidly discussed the sex and drug culture of the time, a gritty honesty that continued in Reed's later projects. The band's well-known debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico, was supported by famed artist Andy Warhol, who also designed the iconic banana cover. Read more...