Rock ‘n’ roll legend and Syracuse University alumnus Lou Reed died Sunday at the age of 71.

Reed, who was the front man for the Velvet Underground, suffered of complications from a recent liver transplant, according to an Oct. 27 NPR article.

Reed graduated with honors from SU in 1964, receiving a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences as an English major. In 2007, the university presented Reed with the George Arents Award, which is the highest alumni honor given for excellence in writing and the arts, according to the SU website.

“The Syracuse University family learned today of the passing of one of its own. While the SU community mourns his loss, we celebrate his poetic soul and innovative spirit,” university officials wrote in an Oct. 27 SU News release.

Reed established a scholarship titled the Lou Reed/Delmore Schwartz Scholarship at SU to honor him and support aspiring creative writers, according to the news release.

Reed drew much of his inspiration from poet, short story writer and SU professor Delmore Schwartz, who taught Reed. He referred to Schwartz as the first “great man” he ever encountered, crediting him for encouraging him to become a writer. Reed eventually honored him in the song “My House,” according to an online article published by People magazine.

While attending SU, he hosted a late-night radio show on WAER titled “Excursions On A Wobbly Rail,” which played jazz, rhythm and blues and doo-wop music, according to an Oct. 27 article published by The Post-Standard.

Reed collaborated with his friend from SU, guitarist-bassist Sterling Morrison, Welsh viola player John Cale and drummer Maureen Tucker to form the band Velvet Underground in the 1960s. The band would go on to create one of the most influential rock albums of all time, “The Velvet Underground & Nico,” according to People.

The band’s singles, “Rock & Roll” and “Sweet Jane,” earned it widespread recognition, including an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, according to The Post-Standard. Reed also pursued a successful solo career, gaining critical acclaim for singles such as “Walk on the Wild Side,” “Perfect Day” and “Satellite of Love.”

Both his involvement with the Velvet Underground and his solo career were characterized for exquisitely yet simply blending art and noise while telling stories of “street deals and odd characters,” according to the NPR article.

“One chord is fine,” Reed said in the NPR article, “Two chords are pushing it. Three chords you’re into jazz.”

Reed is survived by his wife, musician Laurie Anderson, according to the article.

Published on October 28, 2013 at 12:09 am

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