Lou Reed Dead at 71

Iconic rocker Lou Reed has died today at the age of 71, reports Rolling Stone in a lengthy obituary celebrating the "massively influential songwriter and guitarist who helped shape nearly fifty years of rock music." No cause of death was immediately released, but Reed underwent a life-saving liver transplant in May. Reed made his name in the '60s with the Velvet Underground, churning out such classics as "Rock & Roll" and "Sweet Jane" and hobnobbing with Andy Warhol, before meandering through a solo career without which "glam, punk, and alternative rock are all unthinkable." Click for the full obituary. (More Lou Reed stories.)