The death of Velvet Underground and solo star Lou Reed has prompted strong reactions from both his peers and the future generations of musicians who his work influenced so profoundly.

Upon hearing the news of Reed's death this afternoon -- a cause has yet to be revealed, although the singer underwent a liver transplant back in May --  fans and friends ranging from the Who and Paul Stanley of Kiss to Motley Crue members Tommy Lee and Nikki Sixx all praised his trailblazing music and uncompromising spirit.

Many of those same artists have also paid tribute to Reed's talent in the past by performing his songs -- check out this 12 Great Lou Reed Covers feature.

Updated 10/28: Who guitarist Pete Townsend has written a post about Reed on the band's official website, alongside loving tributes to other important people in his life who have recently passed. It reads:

Yesterday I heard about the passing of Lou Reed. I’d been thinking about him after meeting Jean Michel Jarre last Saturday. He is a friend of Lou and Laurie Anderson. My heart goes out to Laurie whom I met briefly when Lou played with me at Rachel Fuller’s ATTIC JAM at Joe’s Pub in NYC. Lou seemed to have fun that night, and it was wonderful and easy for me to perform with this clear-sighted musician who I had expected to be so difficult.

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