Photo: Man Alive! / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Lou Reed was born on March 2, 1942 in New York City, New York, United States and was credited as a singer, singer-songwriter and guitarist. Lou Reed died on October 27, 2013 at the age of 71. Education on record includes Freeport High School and Syracuse University. Listed accolades include Steiger Award, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2015) and Grammy Awards. Credited works include Walk on the Wild Side and Transformer.
My Take
What strikes me most about Lou Reed is how he expanded what a rock song was allowed to be about. With the Velvet Underground and later as a solo artist, he wrote about the people polite society preferred to ignore, and he did it without judgment or sentimentality. Walk on the Wild Side still sounds dangerous and tender at once, which is a nearly impossible balance. I find it telling that his commercial peak never matched his influence; half the bands I love only exist because he proved honesty could be an aesthetic. His Hall of Fame induction felt less like an honor than an overdue apology.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Lou Reed
- Name (Japanese)
- ルー・リード
- Reading
- るー・りーど
- Born
- March 2, 1942 – October 27, 2013
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Occupation
- singer / singer-songwriter / guitarist / photographer / composer
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Horse
2. Background
- High school
- Freeport High School
- University
- Syracuse University
Awards & achievements
- Steiger Award
- 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- Grammy Awards
3. Works & records
Filmography / notable works
| Category | Title |
|---|---|
| Notable work | Walk on the Wild Side |
| Notable work | Transformer |
4. Links
- Official sitehttps://www.loureed.com
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou%20Reed
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%89
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q189080
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Only publicly available facts are listed; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. Base data was compiled from Wikidata from June 2026 onward; ages are recalculated daily and deaths are checked against Wikidata on an ongoing basis. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Lou Reed born?
Lou Reed was born on March 2, 1942.
When did Lou Reed die?
Lou Reed died on October 27, 2013, aged 71.
Where was Lou Reed from?
Lou Reed was from New York City, New York, United States.
What did Lou Reed do?
Lou Reed worked as singer, singer-songwriter, guitarist, photographer, composer.
Where did Lou Reed study?
Lou Reed attended Syracuse University.
What was Lou Reed known for?
Lou Reed's notable works include Walk on the Wild Side, Transformer.
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