American singer-songwriter Lou Reed was BOTD in 1942. Born in Brooklyn, he admitted his homosexuality to his parents as a teenager, who forced him to undergo electro-convulsive therapy. He played in bands in high school, and studied poetry at Syracuse University. He moved to New York City where he met Andy Warhol, immersing himself in the counter-cultural scene. In 1964, Reed formed the rock band The Velvet Underground, which became the house band of Warhol’s Factory, though largely managed by Paul Morrissey. Though not commercially successful, the band became hugely influential on the underground and alternative rock movements. After quitting in 1970, Reed went on to a successful solo career. He is best known for his 1972 glam rock album Transformer, produced by his friend (and probable lover) David Bowie. An international hit, its highlights include the singles Walk on the Wild Side, a witty and sexually explicit portrait of the Factory’s omnisexual sub-culture, and the existential love ballad Satellite of Love. A compelling performer with a sonorous baritone and deadpan delivery, he became a cult figure of 1970s rock. After the success of albums Rock ’n’ Roll Animal and Sally Can’t Dance, he descended into drug addiction, re-emerging in the 1980s as a grizzled veteran rocker. His 1989 album New York, referencing AIDS, civil rights, Nazi politicians and the Catholic Church, became his biggest selling album since the 1970s, and he joined the Velvet Underground reunion in 1990. He continued performing throughout the 1990s, revered by younger musicians who claimed him as as a spiritual godfather. Reed married Sylvia Morales in 1980, separating a decade later, and had a well-publicised relationship with performance artist Laurie Anderson, whom he married in 2008. He died in 2013, aged 71.