"Oh Lou, Why Did You Leave Us?" Morrissey on the Late, Great Lou Reed

Morrissey is leading the tributes to the late great Lou Reed, who died this week from unknown causes. The legendary Velvet Underground man had been in ill health for a while though his death sent shockwaves through the rock community on Sunday (October 27, 2013).

A number of artists have come forward with touching tributes, including David Bowie, his long-time collaborator John Cale and Morrissey.

Quoting his own song 'Life is a Pigsty' in a post titled "Oh Lou/why did you leave us this way?" on the True To You fan-site, Morrissey said, "No words to express the sadness at the death of Lou Reed. He had been there all of my life. He will always be pressed to my heart. Thank God for those, like Lou, who move within their own laws, otherwise imagine how dull the world would be. I knew the Lou of recent years and he was always full of good heart. His music will outlive time itself. We are all timebound, but today, with the loss of liberating Lou, life is a pigsty.

'7 glasses used to be

called for six good mates and me

now we only call for three."

John Cale, founding Velvet Underground member and close friend of Reed, wrote:

"The news I feared the most, pales in comparison to the lump in my throat and the hollow in my stomach. Two kids have a chance meeting and 47 years later we fight and love the same way -losing either one is incomprehensible. No replacement value, no digital or virtual fill...broken now, for all time. Unlike so many with similar stories-we have the best of our fury laid out on vinyl, for the world to catch a glimpse. The laughs we shared just a few weeks ago, will forever remind me of all that was good between us."

David Bowie simply wrote on his website "He was a master," accompanied by a photograph of the pair together.

A hugely influential songwriter and guitarist who helped shaped modern day rock music, Lou Reed courted critical acclaim with both his Velvet Underground work and solo career. He was unpredictable and an infamously challenging interview subject - though he also kept his fans thinking with every move. Of his song-writing technique, Reed once mused, "One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you're into jazz."

Reed is survived by his wife, the musician-performance artist Laurie Anderson.

Lou Reed Hop Farm Festival Lou Reed At The Hop Farm Festival in 2011