Velvet Underground member John Cale issued a statement on the passing of Lou Reed. Cale and Reed worked together on two albums with The Velvet Underground before Cale left the band in 1968. The two reunited in 1990 for Songs for Drella, a concept album paying tribute to Andy Warhol.

Cale released this statement today on the death of Reed:

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.