The music world is in a state of mourning this evening after the announcement of the death of Lou Reed at the age of 71.
Reed formed the Velvet Underground with Sterling Morrison, Maureen Tucker and John Cale in the mid 1960's and profoundly shaped the progression of popular music over the course of the next few decades. Reed became aligned with the pop art movement of the same era and is credited with introducing an avant-garde sense of artistry to music which had been largely absent until that time.
The cause of the musician's death, which was first reported by Rolling Stone at around 5pm Irish time, has yet to be released but it is known that Reed underwent a liver transplant in May.
Reed's last solo album Hudson River Wind Meditations was released in 2007 but he was more recently known for his 2011 Lulu collaboration with Metallica.
Lou Reed is survived by his his wife, performance artist Laurie Anderson.
