Laurie Anderson Pens Lou Reed’s Obituary

Reed died Oct. 27 at 71. His cause of death was attributed to an ailment related to a recent liver transplant, according to his literary agent, who noted the former Velvet Underground frontman had been in frail health for months.  

The uplifting obituary, which is short but sweet at less than 175 words, began with a description of autumn in Springs, which Anderson describes as the couple’s spiritual home: “What a beautiful fall! Everything shimmering and golden and all that incredible soft light. Water surrounding us.”

Anderson says that she promised Reed last week she’d take him out of the hospital and “home to Springs.”  

She writes, “Lou was a tai chi master and spent his last days here being happy and dazzled by the beauty and power and softness of nature. He died on Sunday morning looking at the trees and doing the famous 21 form of tai chi with just his musician hands moving through the air.

“Lou was a prince and a fighter and I know his songs of the pain and beauty in the world will fill many people with the incredible joy he felt for life. Long live the beauty that comes down and through and onto all of us.”

The obituary is signed “his loving wife and eternal friend.”

Click here to read the full obituary. (Note to our readers: As of the time of this post, the website for the East Hampton Star seemed to be having technical problems.)

And click here for a collection of celebrity reactions to Reed’s death.