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‘Oh Lou, why did you leave us this way?’ Morrissey mourns death of rock legend Lou Reed in heartfelt statement

By Tim Hyde

A tribute to rock legend Lou Reed written by iconic Manchester vocalist Morrissey was posted on his True To You fan site yesterday following the tragic death of the 71-year-old.

The Moz-father is a well-known fan of the American singer-songwriter along with many famous musicians who have voiced their sadness at his passing.

Reed was one of the most influential musicians of the last 40 years and worked with artists such as Metallica and David Bowie.

“No words to express the sadness at the death of Lou Reed. He had been there all of my life. He will always be pressed to my heart,” Morrissey said.

“Thank God for those, like Lou, who move within their own laws, otherwise imagine how dull the world would be.

“I knew the Lou of recent years and he was always full of good heart. His music will outlive time itself. We are all time-bound, but today, with the loss of liberating Lou, life is a pigsty.”

In his recent biography the former Smiths lead-singer wrote about how Reed had a huge impact on the music industry.

Reeds original band The Velvet Underground were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 as their unique sound paved the way for generations to come.

Morrissey said: “The daring brilliance of early Lou Reed takes its place with the literary greats, partly because he denied all tradition in his writing and physical presentation.”

Although Reed didn’t receive much commercial success his music had great influence on music in later decades which has been widely recognised.

Reed received tributes via twitter from celebrities around the globe including Samuel L Jackson, Iggy Pop and Ricky Gervais.

Image courtesy of Man! Alive via Flickr, with thanks.

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