Rocker Lou Reed Has Liver Transplant

Lou Reed is recovering from a liver transplant, his wife tells the Times of London. The 71-year-old had the surgery several weeks ago at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, says Laurie Anderson, herself a performance artist. "It's as serious as it gets," she tells the newspaper. "He was dying." But she adds that Reed is doing well in recovery. Reed, who co-founded the Velvet Underground before his solo career ("Take a Walk on the Wild Side") has spoken—and sung—of his past use of booze and drugs, notes AP. (More Lou Reed stories.)