Laurie Anderson had already paid tribute to her late husband Lou Reed with a heartfelt obituary. Now, she has written another tear-jerking memorial for the Velvet Underground icon.
In an essay for Rolling Stone, Anderson described her relationship with Reed in intimate detail. She explained how they met at a Munich festival in 1992 and began their relationship a few months later, writing, "I had no idea this was meant to be a date, but when we went for coffee after that, he said, 'Would you like to see a movie?' Sure. 'And then after that, dinner?' OK. 'And then we can take a walk?' 'Um…' From then on we were never really apart."
Their relationship wasn't always easy, and Anderson opened up about the compromises and arguments, in addition to the many happy memories. She also described their 2008 wedding in Boulder, CO, which was agreed upon just one day before; Anderson played a show immediately after the ceremony.
Perhaps the most touching part of the whole essay is her description of Lou's passing. He spent his last couple of years battling hepatitis C, liver cancer and diabetes, but never stopped searching for a cure and frequently practised Tai Chi. He apparently didn't give up battling his illness until the very final moments of his life.
Anderson explained: "As meditators, we had prepared for this — how to move the energy up from the belly and into the heart and out through the head. I have never seen an expression as full of wonder as Lou's as he died. His hands were doing the water-flowing 21-form of Tai Chi. His eyes were wide open. I was holding in my arms the person I loved the most in the world, and talking to him as he died. His heart stopped. He wasn't afraid. I had gotten to walk with him to the end of the world. Life — so beautiful, painful and dazzling — does not get better than that. And death? I believe that the purpose of death is the release of love."
Read the entire essay here.
In an essay for Rolling Stone, Anderson described her relationship with Reed in intimate detail. She explained how they met at a Munich festival in 1992 and began their relationship a few months later, writing, "I had no idea this was meant to be a date, but when we went for coffee after that, he said, 'Would you like to see a movie?' Sure. 'And then after that, dinner?' OK. 'And then we can take a walk?' 'Um…' From then on we were never really apart."
Their relationship wasn't always easy, and Anderson opened up about the compromises and arguments, in addition to the many happy memories. She also described their 2008 wedding in Boulder, CO, which was agreed upon just one day before; Anderson played a show immediately after the ceremony.
Perhaps the most touching part of the whole essay is her description of Lou's passing. He spent his last couple of years battling hepatitis C, liver cancer and diabetes, but never stopped searching for a cure and frequently practised Tai Chi. He apparently didn't give up battling his illness until the very final moments of his life.
Anderson explained: "As meditators, we had prepared for this — how to move the energy up from the belly and into the heart and out through the head. I have never seen an expression as full of wonder as Lou's as he died. His hands were doing the water-flowing 21-form of Tai Chi. His eyes were wide open. I was holding in my arms the person I loved the most in the world, and talking to him as he died. His heart stopped. He wasn't afraid. I had gotten to walk with him to the end of the world. Life — so beautiful, painful and dazzling — does not get better than that. And death? I believe that the purpose of death is the release of love."
Read the entire essay here.
