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.
- Rock icon, artist and pop pioneer Lou Reed died Sunday
- Reed challenged the status quo with the Velvet Underground and in his solo career
- Even at his art's bleakest, Reed's work had an undercurrent of humor
(CNN) -- The apocryphal and numerically fluctuating line about the Velvet Underground, often attributed to Brian Eno, is that just 3,000 people bought "The Velvet Underground and Nico," but every one of them formed a band.
It wasn't true -- the 1967 album sold more than 50,000 copies in its first two years of release -- but the influence of the album is inescapable.
The Velvets were precursors to punk rock, art rock, avant-garde rock, almost any kind of rock that veered from the status quo. And, not to discount the contributions of John Cale, Sterling Morrison, Maureen Tucker and the soon-to-depart Nico, but the voice of the band was Lou Reed.
The singer, guitarist and songwriter died Sunday, according to his publicist. He had undergone a liver transplant in May.
The impact of Lou Reed on rock
Rock icon Lou Reed dead at 71
A look back at those we have lost in 2013.
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 on October 27, his publicist said. He was 71.
Actress Marcia Wallace died on October 25, her agent said. Wallace voiced the character Edna Krabappel on "The Simpsons" and is known for playing receptionist Carol Kester on "The Bob Newhart Show." She was 70.
Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Sharman -- who won four NBA titles as a player, one as a head coach and five in his club's front office -- died October 25 in southern California, his former teams said. He was 87.
Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams died of natural causes on October 21. He was 90. Adams, whose team started in Houston as the Houston Oilers, co-founded the American Football League, which eventually merged with the National Football League.
Lou Scheimer, a pioneer in Saturday morning television cartoons with hit shows such as "Superman," "Fat Albert" and "He-Man," died October 17 at 84, according to his biographer. Andy Mangels helped tell Scheimer's story in the book "Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation."
"Bum" Phillips, the former NFL football coach who led the Houston Oilers to glory and struggled with the New Orleans Saints, died October 18 at age 90.
Rep. Bill Young of Florida, the longest-serving Republican member of the House, died on October 18 at age 82, his office's chief of staff said.
Former U.S. House Speaker Tom Foley, 84, died at his home in Washington, his wife, Heather, confirmed on October 18. An earlier version of this gallery contained a photo incorrectly identified as Tom Foley. CNN regrets this error.
Character actor Ed Lauter, who had small roles in movies and TV shows over four decades, died October 16 of mesothelioma, caused by asbestos exposure, his publicist said. He was 74.
Jazz vocalist Gloria Lynne, whose career included dozens of albums, died October 15 of a heart attack, her son said. She was 83.
Maxine Powell, who helped nurture the style of Motown artists such as Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross in the 1960s, died on October 14. The personal development coach for the legendary record label was 98.
"MasterChef" runner-up Joshua Marks died October 11 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. He was 26.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Oscar Hijuelos died on October 12, his agent said. Hijuelos was the first Latino to win the prestigious award for fiction for his 1989 novel, "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love." He was 62.
Astronaut Scott Carpenter, the second American to orbit Earth, died on October 10, NASA said. He was 88.
Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap of the Vietnam People's Army, a man credited with major victories against the French and the American military, died on October 4. He was 102.
Photojournalist Bill Eppridge, who photographed Sen. Robert F. Kennedy moments after he was fatally shot in Los Angeles in 1968, died on October 3.
American author Tom Clancy died October 2, according to a family member. He was 66.
Hiroshi Yamauchi, who built Nintendo from a small card company into a global video-game empire before buying the Seattle Mariners, died September 19 in Japan. He was 85.
Forty years after rising to the top of the boxing world and outdueling Muhammad Ali, Ken Norton, left, died at a Nevada medical facility after a stroke on September 18. He was 70.
British rocker Jackie Lomax, who recorded with legendary stars but whose own career always seemed a degree removed from fame, died on September 15 at the age of 69. The singer-songwriter-guitarist enjoyed a 50-year career playing with many of music's biggest stars -- notably the Beatles -- but personal commercial success eluded him.
Ray Dolby, the American inventor who changed the way people listen to sound in their homes, on their phones and in cinemas, died September 12 in San Francisco. He was 80. The founder of Dolby Laboratories had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease for a number of years and in July was diagnosed with acute leukemia.
Ex-heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison died September 1, according to his former promoter Tony Holden. He was 44. Morrison defeated George Foreman in 1993 for the World Boxing Organization's heavyweight title. He also won fame for his role in "Rocky V."
British broadcaster David Frost, best known for his series of interviews with former U.S. President Richard Nixon in 1977, died August 31. He was 74.
Irish poet Seamus Heaney, who won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1995, died on Friday, August 30, at a hospital in Dublin. He was 74.
British cinematographer Gilbert Taylor, right, died in his home on the Isle of Wright on Friday, August 23. The man behind the visual style of movies such as "Star Wars" and "Dr. Strangelove" was 99. Here, Taylor and director Peter Brooks, left, film "Meetings With Remarkable Men" in 1979.
CBS News correspondent Bruce Dunning died Monday, August 26, from injuries suffered from a fall. Dunning was 73.
Muriel "Mickie" Siebert, the first woman to hold a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, died on Sunday, August 25, the Siebert Financial Corp. said. She was 80.
Sid Bernstein, the promoter and agent who helped start the "British invasion" by bringing the Beatles to Carnegie Hall, died Wednesday, August 21, according to his publicist. He was 95.
Marian McPartland, the famed jazz pianist and longtime host of NPR's "Piano Jazz" program, died Tuesday, August 20, of natural causes, according to her label. She was 95.
Crime novelist and screenwriter Elmore Leonard, who was recovering from a stroke, died August 20, his literary agent said. He was 87.
Actor Lee Thompson Young, best known for his roles on Disney's "The Famous Jett Jackson" and TNT's "Rizzoli & Isles," died August 19 at the age of 29.
Actress Lisa Robin Kelly, one of the stars of TV's "That '70s Show," died August 14, according to her agent, Craig Wyckoff. Kelly was 43.
British stuntman Mark Sutton died on Wednesday, August 14, after a parachuting accident in Switzerland. Sutton, 42, was well known for parachuting in as James Bond at the 2012 London Olympics.
Gia Allemand appeared on season 14 of ABC's "The Bachelor." In a statement, her family said the 29-year-old's death apparently was suicide.
Journalist Jack Germond died August 14, his wife, Alice, wrote in a note to friends. He was 85. Germond covered national politics for more than 50 years, including as a political analyst for CNN.
Singer Eydie Gorme, best known for her 1963 song "Blame it on the Bossa Nova," died August 10 in Las Vegas after a brief illness, her publicist said. She was 84.
Actress Karen Black, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the 1970 film "Five Easy Pieces," died on Thursday, August 8, her agent said, after a long and public battle with cancer. She was 74.
Sean Sasser, whose commitment ceremony on MTV's "Real World" in 1994 was a first for U.S. television, died Wednesday, August 7, his longtime partner told CNN. Sasser was 44.
Jackie Gingrich, first wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and mother of his two daughters, died Wednesday, August 7, in Atlanta, according to the funeral home organizing her arrangements. She was 77.
Margaret Pellegrini, who played the flowerpot Munchkin and one of the sleepyhead kids in the classic film "The Wizard of Oz," died at her home in Phoenix on Wednesday, August 7 after suffering a stroke, according to Ted Bulthaup, spokesman for the Munchkins. She was 89. Pellegrini was one of the last surviving Munchkins from the 1939 film.
George Duke, seen here at the 2013 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in May, died in August at the age of 67. The legend was known for his phenomenal skills as a keyboardist, and his ability to bridge together jazz, rock, funk and R&B.
Baltimore Colts defensive tackle Art Donovan, a charismatic player who was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968, died Sunday, August 4. He was 88.
John Palmer, a veteran reporter for NBC News, died Saturday, August 3, after a short illness, according to the network. He was 77.
Michael Ansara, the character actor best known for playing three iterations of Klingon leader Kang in different "Star Trek" series, died Wednesday, July 31. He was 91.
Ossie Schectman, the former New York Knicks guard who scored the league's first basket, died Tuesday, July 30. He was 94. NBA Commissioner David Stern called Schectman a pioneer, "Playing for the New York Knickerbockers in the 1946-47 season, Ossie scored the league's first basket, which placed him permanently in the annals of NBA history. On behalf of the entire NBA family, our condolences go out to Ossie's family."
Actress Eileen Brennan, who earned an Oscar nomination for her role as the exasperated drill captain in the movie "Private Benjamin," died Sunday, July 28, at her Burbank, California, home after a battle with bladder cancer. She was 80.
Former Major League Baseball pitcher Frank Castillo drowned while swimming in a lake near Phoenix, authorities said July 29. He was 44.
Ecuador striker Christian Benitez, the top scorer in the Mexican league last season, died of a heart attack Monday, July 29, at age 27.
Syndicated radio host Kidd Kraddick died Saturday, July 27, at a golf tournament in New Orleans to raise money for his Kidd's Kids Charity. He was 53.
Musician JJ Cale died Friday, July 26, after suffering a heart attack. He was 74. Above, Cale performs at the Carre Theatre in Amsterdam in 1973.
Virginia Johnson, the pioneering sex researcher who was part of a groundbreaking team with William Masters, died at age 88 on July 24, her family said. Masters died in 2001.
Former world-class boxer Emile Griffith, who won five titles during the 1960s, died July 23, the International Boxing Hall of Fame announced. He was 75.
Actor Dennis Farina, a Chicago ex-cop whose tough-as-nails persona enlivened roles on either side of the law, died Monday, July 22. He was 69. Above, Farina shoots a scene as Detective Joe Fontana in "Law & Order" in 2004.
Pioneer journalist and former senior White House correspondent Helen Thomas died Saturday, July 20, after a long illness, sources told CNN. She was 92.
Jazz guitarist Carline Ray died at Isabella House in New York City, on July 18. She was 88.
Cory Monteith, who played heart throb Finn Hudson in the Fox hit "Glee," was found dead in a Vancouver, Canada, hotel room Saturday, July 13, police said. He was 31.
Douglas Englebart, the inventor of the computer mouse, died Tuesday, July 2, at his home in Atherton, California, according to SRI International, the research institute where he once worked. He was 88.
Jim Kelly, a martial artist best known for his appearance in the 1973 Bruce Lee movie "Enter the Dragon," died on June 29 of cancer. He was 67. After a brief acting career, he became a ranked professional tennis player on the USTA senior men's circuit. Here he appears in the 1974 film "Three the Hard Way."
Bert Stern, a revolutionary advertising photographer in the 1960s who also made his mark with images of celebrities, died on June 25 at age 83. Possibly most memorably, he captured Marilyn Monroe six weeks before she died for a series later known as "The Last Sitting."
Alan Myers, Devo's most well-known drummer, lost his battle with cancer on June 24. Band member Mark Mothersbaugh said in a statement that Myers' style on the drums helped define the band's early sound.
Singer Bobby "Blue" Bland, who helped create the modern soul-blues sound, died June 23 at age 83. Bland was part of a blues group that included B.B. King. His song "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" was sampled on a Jay-Z album. Bland was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
Marc Rich, the commodities trader and Glencore founder whom President Bill Clinton pardoned on his final day in office, died June 26 at age 78 in Switzerland. Rich often was credited with the creation of modern oil trading. He lived abroad after being indicted in 1983 for tax evasion, false statements, racketeering and illegal trading with Iran, becoming one of the world's most famous white-collar criminals.
Richard Matheson, an American science-fiction writer best known for his novel "I Am Legend," died June 23 at age 87. During a career that spanned more than 60 years, Matheson wrote more than 25 novels and nearly 100 short stories, plus screenplays for TV and film.
James Gandolfini died at the age of 51, after an apparent heart attack. Gandolfini became a fan favorite for his role as mob boss Tony Soprano on HBO's "The Sopranos."
Country music singer/songwriter Slim Whitman died on June 19, his son-in-law Roy Beagle told CNN. He was 90. Above, Whitman poses with his guitar at a press conference at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London, on February 22, 1956.
Esther Williams, whose success as a competitive swimmer propelled her to Hollywood stardom during the 1940s and 1950s, died on Thursday, June 6 in California, according to her spokesman.
David "Deacon" Jones, who is credited with coining the term "sacking the quarterback" during his stint as one of the greatest defensive ends in the NFL, has died.
Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey died June 3 of viral pneumonia, his office said. Lautenberg, 89, had been the Senate's last surviving veteran of World War II.
Actress Jean Stapleton, best known for her role as Archie Bunker's wife, Edith, in the groundbreaking 1970s TV sitcom "All in the Family," died at age 90 on Saturday, June 1.
Ed Shaughnessy, the longtime drummer for "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," has died, a close friend said Sunday. He was 84.
Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founding member of The Doors, passed away of cancer on Monday, May 20. He was 74.
NASCAR legend Dick Trickle died on May 16 of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 71.
Popular American psychologist and television personality Dr. Joyce Brothers died at 85, her daughter said on May 13. Brothers gained fame as a frequent guest on television talk shows and as an advice columnist for Good Housekeeping magazine and newspapers throughout the United States.
Jeanne Cooper, who played Katherine Chancellor, the "Dame of Genoa City," on "The Young and the Restless," died on May 8. She was 84.
Ray Harryhausen, the stop-motion animation and special-effects master whose work influenced such directors as Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson and George Lucas, died on May 7 at age 92, according to the Facebook page of the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation.
Grammy-winning guitarist Jeff Hanneman, a founding member of the heavy metal band Slayer, died on May 2 of liver failure. He was 49.
Chris Kelly, one-half of the 1990s rap duo Kris Kross, died on May 1 at an Atlanta hospital after being found unresponsive at his home, the Fulton County medical examiner's office told CNN.
Kelly, right, and Chris Smith shot to stardom in 1992 with the hit "Jump."
George Jones, the country music legend whose graceful, evocative voice gave depth to some of the greatest songs in country music -- including "She Thinks I Still Care," "The Grand Tour" and "He Stopped Loving Her Today" -- died on April 26 at age 81, according to his public relations firm.
Actor Allan Arbus poses for a portrait with his daughter photographer Amy Arbus in 2007. Allan Arbus, who played psychiatrist Maj. Sidney Freedman in the M*A*S*H television series, died at age 95, his daughter's representative said April 23.
Folk singer Richie Havens, the opening act at the 1969 Woodstock music festival, died on April 22 of a heart attack, his publicist said. He was 72.
Australian rocker Chrissy Amphlett, the Divinyls lead singer whose group scored an international hit with the sexually charged "I Touch Myself" in the early 1990s, died on April 21 from breast cancer and multiple sclerosis, her husband said. She was 53.
Pat Summerall, the NFL football player turned legendary play-by-play announcer, was best known as a broadcaster who teamed up with former NFL coach John Madden. Summerall died April 16 at the age of 82.
Comedian Jonathan Winters died on April 11 at age 87. Known for his comic irreverence, he had a major influence on a generation of comedians. Here he appears on "The Jonathan Winters Show" in 1956.
Sir Robert Edwards, a "co-pioneer" of the in vitro fertilization technique and Nobel Prize winner, died April 10 in his sleep after a long illness, the University of Cambridge said. He was 87. He is pictured on July 25, 1978, holding the world's first "test-tube baby," Louise Joy Brown, alongside the midwife and Dr. Patrick Steptoe, who helped develop the fertility treatment.
Annette Funicello, one of the best-known members of the original 1950s "Mickey Mouse Club" and a star of 1960s "beach party" movies, died at age 70 on April 8. Pictured, Funicello performs with Jimmie Dodd on "The Mickey Mouse Club" in1957.
Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a towering figure in postwar British and world politics and the only woman to become British prime minister, died at the age of 87 on Monday, April 8.
Designer Lilly Pulitzer, right, died on April 7 at age 81, according to her company's Facebook page. The Palm Beach socialite was known for making sleeveless dresses from bright floral prints that became known as the "Lilly" design.
Film critic Roger Ebert died on April 4, according to his employer, the Chicago Sun-Times. He was 70. Ebert had taken a leave of absence on April 2 after a hip fracture was revealed to be cancer.
Jane Nebel Henson, wife of the late Muppets creator Jim Henson and instrumental in the development of the world-famous puppets, died April 2 after a long battle with cancer. She was 78.
Shain Gandee, one of the stars of the MTV reality show "Buckwild," was found dead with two other people in Kanawha County, West Virginia, on April 1. He was 21.
Music producer and innovator Phil Ramone, right, with Paul Shaffer, left, and Billy Joel at the Song Writers Hall of Fame Awards in New York in 2001. Ramone died March 30 at the age of 72.
Writer/producer Don Payne, one of the creative minds behind "The Simpsons," died March 26 at his home in Los Angeles after losing a battle with bone cancer, reports say. He was 48.
Gordon Stoker, left, who as part of the vocal group the Jordanaires sang backup on hits by Elvis Presley, died March 27 at 88.
Deke Richards, center, died March 24 at age 68. Richards was a producer and songwriter who was part of the team responsible for Motown hits such as "I Want You Back" and "Maybe Tomorrow." He had been battling esophageal cancer.
Legendary publisher, promoter and weightlifter Joe Weider, who created the Mr. Olympia contest and brought California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to the United States, died at age 93 on March 23.
Playboy magazine's 1962 "Playmate of the Year," Christa Speck Krofft, died March 22 of natural causes at the age of 70.
Rena Golden, who held top positions at CNN, died at age 51 after battling lymphoma for two years on March 21.
Harry Reems, the porn star best known for playing Dr. Young in the 1972 adult film classic "Deep Throat," died March 19, according to a spokeswoman at a Salt Lake City hospital. Reems, whose real name is Herbert Streicher, was 65.
Bobbie Smith, who as a member of the Spinners sang lead on such hits as "I'll Be Around" and "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love," died on March 16 at age 76. Pictured clockwise from left, Spinners band member Pervis Jackson, Billy Henderson, Jonathan Edwards, Bobbie Smith and Henry Fambrough, 1977.
Sweden's Princess Lilian, the Welsh-born model who lived with her lover Prince Bertil for 30 years before they were married, has died at the age of 97, the Swedish Royal Court said in a statement.
Alvin Lee, the speed-fingered British guitarist who lit up Woodstock with a monumental 11-minute version of his song "I'm Going Home," died on March 6, according to his website. He was 68.
Hugo Chavez, the polarizing president of Venezuela who cast himself as a "21st century socialist" and foe of the United States, died March 5, said Vice President Nicolas Maduro.
Bobby Rogers, one of the original members of Motown staple The Miracles, died on Sunday, March 3, at 73. From left: Bobby Rogers, Ronald White, Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore circa 1965.
Actress Bonnie Franklin, star of the TV show "One Day at a Time," died at the age of 69 on March 1 of complications from pancreatic cancer.
Actor Dale Robertson, who was popular for his western TV shows and movies, died at age 89 on Thursday, February 28.
Richard Street, former member of the Temptations, died at age 70 on February 27. Street, second from the left, poses for a portrait with fellow members of the Temptations circa 1973.
Van Cliburn, the legendary pianist honored with a New York ticker-tape parade for winning a major Moscow competition in 1958, died on February 27 after a battle with bone cancer, his publicist said. He was 78.
Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop died on February 25. He was 96. Koop served as surgeon general from 1982 to 1989, under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
Damon Harris, former member of the Motown group the Temptations, died at age 62 on February 18. Harris, center on the stool, poses for a portrait with fellow members of The Temptations circa 1974.
Lou Myers, a stage, film and TV actor who memorably portrayed Mr. Gaines on the comedy "A Different World," died on February 19 at the age of 75.
Los Angeles Laker owner Jerry Buss died February 18 at age 80. Buss, who had owned the Lakers since 1979, was credited with procuring the likes of Earvin "Magic" Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers won 10 NBA championships and 16 Western Conference titles under Buss' ownership.
Country singer Mindy McCready was found dead on February 17 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. She was 37. During her career, McCready landed 14 songs and six albums on the Billboard country charts.
Ed Koch, the brash former New York mayor, died February 1 of congestive heart failure at 88, his spokesman said.
Patty Andrews, center, the last surviving member of the Andrews Sisters, died at her Northridge, California, home on January 30, her publicist Alan Eichler said. She was 94. Patty is seen in this 1948 photograph with her sisters Maxene, left, and Laverne.
Baseball Hall of Famer and St. Louis Cardinals great Stan Musial died on January 19, according to his former team. He was 92.
Baseball Hall of Fame manager Earl Sidney Weaver, who led the Baltimore Orioles to four pennants and a World Series title with a pugnacity toward umpires, died January 19 of an apparent heart attack at age 82, Major League Baseball said.
Pauline Phillips, better known to millions of newspaper readers as the original Dear Abby advice columnist, has died after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. She died January 16 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at age 94.
Aaron Swartz, the Internet activist who co-wrote the initial specification for RSS, committed suicide, a relative told CNN on January 12. He was 26. Swartz also co-founded Demand Progress, a political action group that campaigns against Internet censorship.
Claude Nobs, the founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival, died aged 76 following a skiing accident.
Richard Ben Cramer, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer whose 1992 book "What It Takes" remains one of the most detailed and passionate of all presidential campaign chronicles, died January 7, according to his longtime agent. He was 62.
Director and stuntman David R. Ellis died on January 7. He directed "Snakes on a Plane."
Tony Lip, who played mob figures in the hit cable show "The Sopranos" and several critically acclaimed movies, died January 4, a funeral home official said. Lip, whose real name was Frank Vallelonga, was 82.
Character actor Ned Wertimer, known to fans of "The Jeffersons" as the doorman Ralph Hart, died on January 2. He was 89.
Pop-country singer Patti Page died on January 1 in Encinitas, California. She was 85. Born Clara Ann Fowler, Page was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s and had 19 gold and 14 platinum singles.
Photos: People we lost in 2013
Photos: People we lost in 2013
Photos: People we lost in 2013
Photos: People we lost in 2013
Photos: People we lost in 2013
Photos: People we lost in 2013
Photos: People we lost in 2013
Photos: People we lost in 2013
The Velvet Underground brought a thrilling dose of downtown noise and crudeness to a rock scene that was beginning to take its love-and-peace feelings all too seriously. Reed's songs, such as "Waiting for the Man" (whose narrator traveled to Harlem to meet his dealer), "Venus in Furs" (about a sadomasochistic relationship) and "Heroin" (self-explanatory), were journeys into humanity's dark side.
Reed wrote or co-wrote every song on that first album and expanded his songwriting expertise on the VU's later works: the even rawer "White Light/White Heat" (1968); the quiet, sometimes brooding, occasionally ecstatic "The Velvet Underground" (1969); the pop-directed "Loaded" (1970); and the wide-ranging "lost album" "VU," which was released in 1985. That was 15 years after the band broke up.
The Velvets would later reunite for a 1993 tour and, after guitarist Sterling Morrison's passing, their 1996 introduction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Reed's songs were generally minimalist, sometimes self-consciously poetic, and usually delivered with a deadpan vocal that was all the more haunting, given the songs' subject matter.
"Heroin will be the death of me," he sang on "Heroin," and then added, "It's my wife / and it's my life," followed by a chuckle so chilling it sounded like giving up. Combined with the squeal of Cale's viola and the undertow of Tucker's percussion, it was like peering down a dark alley.
But Reed was nothing if not a student of pop as well. He'd spent a couple pre-Velvet years slaving away at low-budget Pickwick Records learning the trade, and in his two-, three- and four-chord songs were undergirded with craftsmanship. Four chords may have been a bit much, anyway: "One chord is fine. Two chords is pushing it. Three chords, and you're into jazz," he once said.
"Sunday Morning," from the "Velvet Underground and Nico" album, contrasted a gorgeous melody with warnings about the past. "Jesus," from "The Velvet Underground," had the purity of a prayer.
And then there were "Loaded's" "Sweet Jane" and "Rock and Roll," which -- in a more just universe -- would have been smash hits: the former a celebration of music, the latter a tribute to rock 'n' radio.
His post-Velvets solo career was no less unpredictable.
Befriended by David Bowie -- who acknowledged the VU's influence on his soundalike 1971 song "Queen Bitch" -- Reed created "Transformer," a 1972 LP that featured his only Top 40 hit, "Walk on the Wild Side." One of the more unlikely hit singles of the pre-MTV era, the song featured unmistakable references to drag queens and oral sex, not to mention a jazzy saxophone solo from Bowie himself (who also produced the record).
But Reed would never be pigeonholed. Three years later, he put out "Metal Machine Music," described by "The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll" as "four sides of grating instrumental noise" and by rock critic (and frequent Reed sparring partner) Lester Bangs as "the greatest album ever made."
Bangs was being sarcastic -- mostly -- but even his criticisms highlight the punk pleasure of ticking off authority figures: "All landlords ... deserve whatever they get, and 'MMM' is the all-time guaranteed lease breaker. Every tenant in America should own a copy of this album," he wrote.
Outsiders often become insiders, and that was no less true for Reed. By the '80s, indie bands were singling him out as a hero. His poker-faced demeanor became a TV mainstay on Honda scooter commercials. He demanded his MTV. He even got airplay for his new music, such as "I Love You, Suzanne," from his 1984 album "New Sensations."
He also showed a more open sense of humor, something that often ran underneath his compositions, even at their bleakest. The humor was most obvious in his occasional acting roles.
He played a slick record producer in Paul Simon's 1980 film "One Trick Pony," and a Bob Dylan parody named Auden in the underrated 1983 comedy "Get Crazy," turning idle dialogue ("It's a deathbed request") into instant songs.
In recent decades, he had settled down with composer Laurie Anderson and become more reflective. With Cale, he paid tribute to Velvet Underground patron Andy Warhol with "Songs for Drella" (1990). His 1992 album "Magic and Loss" looked at life and aging.
It was all part of existence, just like heroin and pale blue eyes and new ages and street hassles.
"I'm a realist. That's why I listen to Lou Reed," Bangs wrote in 1980.
But for all the darkness and light of his lyrics, the music was often the ticket to raw excitement.
That's why, even if all those people didn't form bands like the legend insists, the songs of Lou Reed will always matter.
He summed it up in four deceptively simple words from the exuberant "Rock and Roll."
"It was all right," he sang. "It was all right."
Yes, it is.
