Rock legend Lou Reed dies at 71

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.cnn_html_media_utility before color red content '>>' font size 9px line height 12px padding right 1px .cnnstrylccimg640 margin 0 27px 14px 0 .captionText filter alpha(opacity 100) opacity 1 .cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a .cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a visited .cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a link .captionText a .captionText a visited .captiontext a link color 004276 outline medium none .cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto margin 0 auto padding right 68px width 270px > Lou Reed took rock 'n' roll into dark corners as a songwriter vocalist and guitarist for the Velvet Underground and as a solo artist has died at the age of 71 on October 27. Here Reed performs in the 1970s. Legendary rock 'n' roll photographer Mick Rock left and Lou Reed attend the John Varvatos Presents Transformer By Lou Reed And Mick Rock on October 3 in New York City. Reed poses at Modern and Contemporary Art Museum on April 29 2010 in Palma de Mallorca where an exhibition of Reed's pictures are displayed. Reed takes a picture during the opening of his exhibition Lou Reed's New York in Serieuze Zaken Studioos in Amsterdam on October 10 2007. Reed performs at Crossing Border Festival on September 12 1997. Reed poses in March 1990. He was a rock pioneer who went from record label songwriter to a member of a short lived but innovative and influential band. Bono of U2 left and Reed appear at the Amnesty International Concert in Denver Colorado on June 8 1986. Reed Debbie Harry of Blondie center and Iggy Pop second from right attend a party for a book on Blondie in New York on May 4 1982. Andy Warhol left and Reed at a David Johansen show at the Bottom Line in New York City on July 20 1978. Reed Mick Jagger center and David Bowie right share a joke at a party at Cafe Royal thrown by Bowie on July 3 1973. Reed performs live on stage in Amsterdam in April 1977. Reed performs in Copenhagen Denmark in September 1973. In 1970 he left the Velvets for a long solo career turning out classics like Walk on the Wild Side and Sweet Jane. Reed violist John Cale and German singer Nico perform in France in 1972. Reed Cale guitarist Sterling Morrison and drummer Maureen Tucker played their first show as the Velvet Underground in 1965. Andy Warhol center with The Velvet Underground Nico Paul Morrisey and Gerard Melanga in 1966. The Velvet Underground pose in 1960. Rolling Stone ranks the group's debut album The Velvet Underground and Nico as the 13th greatest of all time. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

(CNN) Lou Reed who took rock 'n' roll into dark corners as a songwriter vocalist and guitarist for the Velvet Underground and as a solo artist died Sunday his publicist said. He was 71.

The publicist Peter Noble confirmed Reed's death but released no details. Reed had undergone a liver transplant in May his wife the musician/performance artist Laurie Anderson disclosed over the summer.

Reed was a rock pioneer who went from record label songwriter to a member of the short lived but innovative and influential Velvet Underground. The band and Reed's solo work tackled taboo topics like drug addiction paranoia and sexual deviancy in songs that were largely spare muscular and often saturated in feedback.

Lou Reed's influence is one that there are really only a tiny handful of other figures who you can compare to him said Simon Vozick Levinson a senior editor at Rolling Stone.

He spoke incredibly frankly about the realities of being an artist being a person who lived life on one's own terms. He didn't prettify things. He didn't sugarcoat things. He showed life as it really is and that's something that made him a true original and one of our great all time artists he said.

Reed violist/keyboard player John Cale guitarist Sterling Morrison and drummer Maureen Tucker played their first show as the Velvet Underground in 1965 and soon drew the attention of pop artist Andy Warhol who became their manager. Rock mythology has it that even though the group sold few albums everyone who bought one started a band.

We had fans who made us realize it was worth it Tucker told CNN. But when we were together actively we didn't have a big splash like the Doors or whatever.

Nevertheless Rolling Stone ranks the group's debut album The Velvet Underground and Nico as the 13th greatest of all time. Tunes like Sweet Jane from the group's 1970 album Loaded have become rock standards. Performers from David Bowie to R.E.M. and U2 have cited them as inspiration and the Velvet Underground was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

The world has lost a fine songwriter and poet. I've lost my 'school yard buddy ' Cale wrote on Twitter.

Tucker called Reed generous encouraging and thoughtful. Working with him sometimes could be trying to some people but never to me.

I guess we learned from each other. We all learned from each other she said.

In 1970 Reed left the Velvets for a long solo career. He had his only Top 40 hit with Walk on the Wild Side from the Bowie produced 1972 album Transformer and Rolling Stone put both that album and 1973's Berlin on its top 500 list.

Reed was one of the first artists to experiment with guitar feedback on record and to show that sort of ugly noise can actually be quite beautiful and moving. He also lyrically wrote about all kinds of topics that were taboo before he started exploring them said Vozick Levinson.

He also gave a voice to gay and transgender people in a way that had never been done before by a popular artist which made his work incredibly important to many people Vozick Levinson said.

In 1982 Reed told The New York Times that his goal wasn't just to make music but create literature.

People say rock 'n' roll is constricting but you can do anything you want any way you want '' he said. And my goal has been to make an album that would speak to people the way Shakespeare speaks to me the way Joyce speaks to me. Something with that kind of power something with bite to it.

And Tucker said Reed influenced probably millions of people into maybe reading more into playing music.

When I have been on tour there have been kids from 15 years old to 60 years old commenting on how they were influenced by Lou and the Velvets she said.

The rock band the Pixies wrote on their Twitter page R.I.P. LOU REED....A LEGEND. Iggy Pop wrote simply Devastating news.

Reed won a Grammy award in 1998 for best long form music video for a documentary on his career up to that point. Neil Portnow president and CEO of The Recording Academy called him an exceptionally gifted singer songwriter and musician who has had a profound impact on rock music and our culture

We have lost a true visionary and creative leader and his groundbreaking work will forever hold its rightful place in music history Portnow said.

People we lost in 2013

CNN's Denise Quan contributed to this report.

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