The great Lou Reed passed away overnight, following a recent liver transplant at age 71. A terroriser of interviewers, Reed’s work, from the Velvet Underground through to his many solo albums, speaks for itself, in much the same manner as his plaintive, no-fuss, talky singing voice, cutting through all else as a remarkable presence. His final released work, 2011’s much-loathed Lulu collaboration with Metallica, might not have seemed the way to go out for some, but in retrospect he left this life doing as he always had – exactly what he wanted. Condolences to Laurie Anderson.
