Known for tracks including Perfect Day and Walk on the Wild Side, Reed was considered one of the most influential² singers and songwriters in rock.

 

The Velvet Underground became renowned³ for their fusion⁴ of art and music and for collaborating⁵ with Andy Warhol.

 

According to the Associated Press news agency, Reed's literary agent said he died of a "liver-related ailment⁶".

 

Andrew Wylie said the musician died at his home in Long Island, New York, on Sunday morning and had not been well "for a few months".

 

Reed's former Velvet Underground bandmate John Cale wrote on his website: "The world has lost a fine songwriter and poet… I've lost my 'school-yard buddy⁷.'"

 

Other stars paying tribute included The Who, who tweeted: "RIP Lou Reed. Walk on the peaceful side." Iggy Pop said it was "devastating⁸ news".

 

An admitted hard drinker and drug user for many years, Reed had a liver transplant this May after suffering liver failure.

 

"I am a triumph of modern medicine," Reed posted on his website on 1 June.

 

The Velvet Underground never achieved commercial success during their 1960s existence, but their influence on music in later decades was widely recognised.

 

The punk, glam and alternative rock movements of the 1970s, '80s and '90s were all indebted to Reed, whose songs were covered by the likes of REM, David Bowie, Nirvana, Patti Smith and countless⁹ others.

 

Music producer Brian Eno once summed up their influence by saying: "The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band."

 

The group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

 

After quitting The Velvet Underground in 1970, Reed released his self-titled debut¹⁰ in 1972, but it wasn't until the Bowie-produced LP Transformer later that year - which featured both Perfect Day and Walk on the Wild Side - that he achieved chart success.

 

Perfect Day enjoyed a second bout¹¹ of success in 1996 when it was featured in Danny Boyle's Trainspotting, and again a year later when it was re-recorded by a celebrity¹² cast for a BBC charity single.

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