New Yorker | Lou Reed, Velvet Underground Singer and Rock Legend, Dies at 71 Radio.com News Update: According to the New York Times, the cause of death was liver disease, so said Dr. Charles Miller of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, where Reed underwent his liver transplant surgery and was being treated again until recently. Related: Lou Reed ... Lou Reed Dead At 71 At His Southampton Home Lou Reed Dead: Velvet Underground Frontman Dies At 71 Lou Reed: a life walked on the wild side |