Rocker Lou Reed of Velvet Underground dies at 71

NEW YORK: Lou Reed, the pioneering musician who fronted influential rock band The Velvet Underground and won mainstream acclaim with solo songs "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Perfect Day", died on Sunday aged 71.

Reed, whose band fused music and art in collaboration with its early benefactor, pop artist Andy Warhol, died at the Long Island home he shared with his wife, Laurie Anderson, following complications from a liver transplant earlier this year, his literary agent Andrew Wylie said.