Just wild about Lou: Tributes pour in for rock pioneer Reed

Following the death of Lou Reed, fellow rock stars from David Bowie to Miley Cyrus have been paying tribute in interviews and on social media to the Velvet Underground frontman

Monday 28 October 2013 20:22 GMT
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Perfect play: Lou Reed with David Bowie, and the stars who paid tribute to him
Perfect play: Lou Reed with David Bowie, and the stars who paid tribute to him

David Bowie: “He was a master.”

John Cale: “The world has lost a fine songwriter and poet… I've lost my 'school-yard buddy'.”

Courtney Love: “My grumpy uncle Joe this is so sad. ”Berlin“ will always be the most beloved of the beloved.”

Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary: “I love Lou Reed so much. Always.”

The Who: “RIP Lou Reed. Walk on the peaceful side.”

Iggy Pop: “Devastating news.”

Salman Rushdie: “My friend Lou Reed came to the end of his song. So very sad. But hey, Lou, you'll always take a walk on the wild side. Always a perfect day.”

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith: “RIP to a great friend a fellow musician. From maxes to the masses you made the world sing. I love you Lou!”

Judd Apatow: “I met Lou at a concert and told him he gave me tinnitus at a concert in 1989 that never went away and I didn't mind.''

Cyndi Lauper: “I still can't believe Lou Reed passed away. I'm sorry for his family's loss. greatful [sic] for his music and the influence he had on my music”

Maureen Tucker, Velvet Underground drummer: “Generous, encouraging and thoughtful… I guess we learned from each other. We all learned from each other.”

Russell Simmons, Def Jam founder: “New York lost one of our greatest gifts today.”

Jamie Reynolds, Klaxons: “My favourite song is 'Beginning to See the Light' from The Velvet Underground. It's from the self-titled third Velvet Underground album that I used to listen to religiously as a student. His passing came as a sad surprise as I always felt he was a master veteran whose work was not yet finished.”

Mick Hucknall: “RIP Lou Reed 71. You defined New York City. Too f****** young. Wayy too young. Berlin one of my most loved albums.”

Irvine Welsh: “Sad to hear about Lou Reed passing. Such a star. RIP Lou, and thanks for giving us 'Perfect Day' for Trainspotting.“

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Nikki Sixx of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe: “RIP Lou Reed. Thank you for your beautiful/dark lyrics/music and stance on life. You inspired me from my teenage years right up till today.”

Theo Hutchcraft, Hurts: “My favourite song is 'Pale Blue Eyes' from The Velvet Underground. He was a master of the dark and light, and always so beautifully himself. A man who made so much possible leaves an impossible space to fill.”

Tom Morello, of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave: “My intro to Lou Reed/Velvet Underground was Jane's Addiction cover of 'Rock & Roll'. He was a singular, unique talent. RIP Lou and thanks.”

Brian Eno: “The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band.”

Mia Farrow: “Deepest Gratitude Lou Reed. Peace. ”

Whoopi Goldberg: “The great & amazing Lou Reed has died. My condolences 2 his wife Laurie Anderson. Lou was 1 of a kind & this coloured girl still says dededede...”.

Samuel L Jackson: “RIP Lou Reed. Just met at the GQ Awards. The music of my generation. Still Relevant!”

Ricky Gervais: “One of the greatest artists of our time.”

Jonathan Ross: “A great talent, a nice man, a sad day.”

Ian Broudie from the Lightning Seeds: “His lyrics are poetry, really. And he seemed to deal with things that no other writer seemed to really deal with in songs. The Velvet Underground would probably be dealing with drugs, sexuality, everything.”

Sam Fryer, Palma Violets: My favourite song is 'There She Goes Again' from The Velvet Underground & Nico. The rough guitar sound of it really got to me. It's such a beautiful, simple rock'n'roll pop song. It's always stayed in my head. The Velvet Underground & Nico is arguably the greatest rock'n'roll album ever. I'm a huge fan of his. Pete, our keyboardist, and I covered “Walk on the Wild Side' at our school talent show.”

Ryan Adams: “Lou Reed.”

Nile Rodgers of Chic: “Lou Reed, RIP. I did the Jools Holland show with him last year and we yucked it up. I didn't know he was ill.”

Paul Stanley of Kiss: “A musician, artist and trailblazer who played by his own rules.”

Billy Idol: “RIP Lou Reed and thank you and the Velvets. U were my inspiration in the '70s, 4 without you there would have been no punk rock!'

Dave Navarro, Jane's Addiction guitarist: “One of my all-time heroes and friends has passed. RIP Lou.”

Neil Portnow, president and CEO of the Recording Academy: “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 ground-breaking work will forever hold its rightful place in music history.”

Freddie Cowan, The Vaccines: “My favourite song is 'Street Hassle' from Street Hassle. The cello on it reminds me of the early Velvets' stuff with John Cale. 'Hangin' Round' is another favourite. I love the music Lou made with Bowie and Mick Ronson. This is one of the lesser known tracks off Transformer but in my mind it's a classic.”

Jack Barnett, These New Puritans: “I love 'Ecstasy' from Ecstasy. Personally, he came after Status Quo and Sparks in my sequence of favourite bands at eight or nine, getting into music and writing songs. I didn't think what the songs were about but they meant a lot to me. I woke up yesterday with his version of 'This Magic Moment' in my head.”

Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran: “It was quite surreal for everyone in the band, as less than a decade earlier, we had been fans listening to his music in our teenage bedrooms… When Simon [Le Bon, singer] introduced our hero, Lou, my heart sank as it sounded as though the entire audience began to boo. Lou was unfazed and smiling, so we launched into the songs. It wasn't until afterwards when the sound of the crowd intensified, that I realised they were all affectionately shouting Lou, not boo... Long live Lou Reed!”

John Cusack: “A singular poet.”

Terry Pratchett: “Lou Reed's gone/ way up to Mars/ Soon it will be filled/ with parking cars/ I watch it for a little while/ I love to watch things on TV.”

Miley Cyrus: “noooooooooo notttttttttt LOU REED.”

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