Patti Smith pays tribute to “kind” Lou Reed

Patti Smith has written a tribute to the late Lou Reed, commenting on The Velvet Underground frontman’s “kindness, sincerity and empathy”.

Writing in The New Yorker, Smith recounts first meeting Reed in the 1970s when she was taken to see The Velvet Underground by a friend.

She also recalls seeing Reed with his wife, Laurie Anderson, recently and sensing that her friend was ill.

Noting the significance of the day on which Reed died, Smith writes: “I searched for the significance of the date – October 27th – and found it to be the birthday of both Dylan Thomas and Sylvia Plath. Lou had chosen the perfect day to set sail – the day of poets, on Sunday morning, the world behind him.”

Lou Reed died on October 27. He was aged 71.

You can read Laurie Anderson’s tribute to her husband here.

Many other musicians have paid tribute to Reed, including David Bowie, John Cale and The Who.

Morrissey has also written a personal tribute to Reed.

You can hear Neil Young, Elvis Costello and Jim James cover a Lou Reed song here.

You can read a 2002 interview with Reed from the Uncut archives here.