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278:. Shortly after Bangs' death in the spring of 1982, Quine said that Reed told him: "'That’s too bad about your friend.' But then he launches into a forty-five minute attack on Lester," largely focusing on the way the writer had treated Rachel in the press. The guitarist says Reed told him: "Do you understand, Quine—this is a person I was close to. And he is calling her a creature and 'thing.'" Quine stated that the conversation regarding Humphreys and Bangs ultimately ended the pair's friendship, and was a rare instance in which Reed acknowledged Humphreys after the end of their relationship.
293:" heard someone call his name and turned around. 'It’s Rachel, who looks pretty much the same except very gaunt … a very gaunt transvestite, and embarrassingly she told me she was under the Highway and homeless at the time. We chatted for a minute. We had a hug. I headed off, being very sad.' Others who also saw Rachel in a poor state on the streets believe that he died shortly thereafter. He would have been in his early forties, at most. Like so much about his life, it is impossible to be sure."
245:, to which Reed was adamantly opposed. Reed biographer Aidan Levy quotes a friend of Rachel's as saying: "There would be a discussion about sex change operations, and every time Rachel would be scheduled to do that—that’s what Lou wanted, as far as Rachel would say—then Lou would back off and say, ‘Well why are you doing that? I love you because of the way you are.'" The same friend reported that the conversations eventually made Humphreys feel
252:
Humphreys and Reed's relationship concluded sometime during 1978. In 1977, Reed met Sylvia
Morales, with whom he soon began a relationship and would marry in 1980. The last time the two were known to have seen one another was in early 1979 when Humphreys briefly attended one of Reed's band practices,
189:
in New York; Reed was instantly attracted to her. Reed later described their first meeting at a club in
Greenwich Village: "I’d been up for days, as usual, and everything was at that superreal, glowing stage. I walked in there, and there was this amazing person, the incredible head, kind of vibrating
230:
The title track ends with the lyrics: "I'd like to send this one out to Lou and Rachel, and all the kids at 192. Man, I'd swear, I'd give the whole thing up for you." Photos of the couple also appear on the cover of the 1977 compilation
330:
Humphreys' role in Reed's life is subject to continuing interest from music and popular culture journalists. Beginning in the 1990s, Humphreys' relationship with Reed was depicted in a number of books, including Victor
Bockris'
193:
Their relationship lasted from 1973 through early 1978, and they lived together as a couple for most of that time. The pair lived at the
Gramercy Park Hotel before settling in an apartment on East 52nd Street. They adopted two
205:
in 1976. One member of their tour party recalled that Reed and
Humphreys would often destroy their hotel rooms: "They were so fucking blitzed they would rip the carpet off the floor, the wallpaper off the walls... They were
240:
In 1977, the pair had a public third anniversary party, which some of their friends interpreted as an informal wedding ceremony. The same year, the relationship began fraying when
Humphreys began considering
223:. Humphreys is depicted reflected in Reed's sunglasses, and is credited in the liner notes as "René de la Bush." Humphreys also served as the inspiration for certain songs on Reed's 1975 album
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out of it all. Rachel was wearing this amazing makeup and dress and I was obviously in a different world to anyone else in the place. Eventually I spoke and she came home with me."
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descent, and her sister Gail Garcia told Reed biographer Aidan Levy: "We knew since he was little he was gay. He used to like to play with
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Reed did not often publicly speak of
Humphreys following their breakup, and little is known about her life after the couple's separation.
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at some point before meeting Reed. By the early 1970s, Humphreys regularly alternated between using the names Rachel, Richard, and Ricky.
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named Duke and Baron. Humphreys used both male and female pronouns at different times, and both enjoyed wearing each other’s clothes.
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Humphreys would do Reed's hair on his tours, would sometimes come onstage during his performances, and was credited as Reed's
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wrote that
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was gripping New York, Reed's former guitarist Jeff Ross had a chance encounter with
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551:"A Gender Variance Who's Who: Rachel Humphreys (1952 - 1990) hairdresser, muse to Lou Reed"
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Portrait of Rachel
Humphreys featured on the back cover of Lou Reed's 1974 album,
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alongside thousands of other individuals who died during the AIDS epidemic.
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310:. Although Humphreys's official cause of death remains unknown, she died at
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666:"Working with Lou, Part 3: The Velvets legend and the late Robert Quine"
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returning a leather bag containing some of the musician's belongings.
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and dress up in girls’ clothes." Humphreys eventually identified as a
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707:"Lou Reed's 'live-in boyfriend' Rachel Humphreys died of AIDS"
430:"Rachel Humphreys, the transgender woman and Lou Reed's muse"
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593:"New York Series: Lou Reed "Coney Island Baby" - NYS Music"
737:"Rachel Humphries & Lou Reed - About A Girl (podcast)"
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Notes from the Velvet Underground: The Life of Lou Reed
47:. Humphreys is depicted reflected in Reed's sunglasses.
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Between Thought and Expression: The Lou Reed Anthology
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Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk
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1162:The Best of Lou Reed & The Velvet Underground
302:Humphreys died 30 January 1990 at age 37 in the
643:"Lou Reed - Coney Island Baby (Official Audio)"
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285:, Howard Sounes wrote that around 1988, as the
623:"Dead of AIDS and Forgotten in Potter's Field"
1427:The Power of the Heart: A Tribute to Lou Reed
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452:"Out On Display #17: Lou Reed • V&A Blog"
213:Humphreys is featured in an illustration (by
8:
268:, who was a friend of Reed's then-guitarist
16:American muse, hairstylist, and tour manager
1211:NYC Man (The Ultimate Collection 1967–2003)
1127:Walk on the Wild Side: The Best of Lou Reed
234:Walk on the Wild Side: The Best of Lou Reed
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496:Dirty Blvd: The Life and Music of Lou Reed
110:(18 October 1952 – 30 January 1990) was a
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217:) on the back cover of Reed's 1974 album
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1148:Walk on the Wild Side & Other Hits
1155:Different Times: Lou Reed in the '70s
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399:"Rachel: Lou Reed's transsexual muse"
185:Humphreys and Reed met at Club 82 in
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1102:Berlin: Live At St. Ann's Warehouse
1484:20th-century American LGBTQ people
591:Simakovsky, Rob (March 30, 2021).
14:
1474:American transgender entertainers
378:published a novel in 2018 titled
353:Notes from the Velvet Underground
283:Notes From the Velvet Underground
173:and was rumored to have lived in
114:and romantic partner to musician
333:Transformer: The Lou Reed Story
1479:Transgender women entertainers
1134:Rock and Roll Diary: 1967–1980
1:
1081:Perfect Night: Live in London
968:Hudson River Wind Meditations
1109:The Creation of the Universe
1464:American women entertainers
689:"Rachel Humphreys memorial"
555:A Gender Variance Who's Who
380:The Perfume Burned His Eyes
243:gender reassignment surgery
138:She was born and raised in
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1469:American transgender women
355:(2015); Anthony DeCurtis'
146:, Texas. Humphreys was of
1197:The Very Best of Lou Reed
1190:The Definitive Collection
813:
30:
947:Set the Twilight Reeling
1067:Live: Take No Prisoners
693:The Hart Island Project
1489:Burials on Hart Island
1370:The Velvet Underground
1218:The Essential Lou Reed
1014:The Stone: Issue Three
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181:Relationship with Reed
130:during the mid-1970s.
1396:Live at Montreux 2000
1236:Walk on the Wild Side
43:, in illustration by
1303:The Original Wrapper
1053:Rock 'n' Roll Animal
898:Growing Up in Public
769:. November 30, 2022.
651:. November 15, 2013.
312:St. Clare's Hospital
1275:I Love You, Suzanne
877:Rock and Roll Heart
863:Metal Machine Music
575:Anthony DeCurtis -
432:. November 30, 2020
171:Bayonne, New Jersey
165:Humphreys attended
1390:Metal Machine Trio
1204:Legendary Lou Reed
557:. January 31, 2019
405:. February 6, 2013
264:Noted rock critic
167:cosmetology school
158:. Reed biographer
142:, New Jersey, and
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1247:Satellite of Love
870:Coney Island Baby
856:Sally Can't Dance
577:Lou Reed: A Life.
533:by Howard Sounes.
376:Michael Imperioli
367:'s autobiography
318:off the coast of
226:Coney Island Baby
220:Sally Can't Dance
215:David Edward Byrd
187:Greenwich Village
120:transgender woman
105:
104:
45:David Edward Byrd
40:Sally Can't Dance
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1416:Rachel Humphreys
1363:Related articles
1327:Featured singles
1289:High in the City
1002:Songs for Drella
912:Legendary Hearts
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357:Lou Reed: A Life
108:Rachel Humphreys
101:, New York, U.S.
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63:October 18, 1952
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1282:My Red Joystick
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1169:A Retrospective
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1095:Animal Serenade
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1023:Laurie Anderson
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369:Remain in Love
341:Gillian McCain
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208:shooting speed
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1074:Live in Italy
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458:. May 6, 2015
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745:. Retrieved
741:Listen Notes
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731:
719:. Retrieved
715:the original
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596:. Retrieved
576:
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460:. Retrieved
456:V&A Blog
455:
446:
434:. Retrieved
407:. Retrieved
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365:Chris Frantz
359:(2017); and
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270:Robert Quine
266:Lester Bangs
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203:road manager
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175:Philadelphia
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152:Barbie dolls
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128:tour manager
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91:Burial place
73:(1990-01-30)
38:
18:
1454:1990 deaths
1449:1952 births
1335:Tranquilize
1317:Dirty Blvd.
1240:Perfect Day
1176:Perfect Day
1141:City Lights
1045:Live albums
842:Transformer
818:Discography
337:Legs McNeil
316:Hart Island
306:section of
156:trans woman
144:San Antonio
124:hairdresser
99:Hart Island
1443:Categories
1261:Sweet Jane
767:Popmatters
747:August 22,
721:August 22,
598:August 22,
561:August 22,
462:August 22,
436:August 22,
409:August 22,
386:References
257:Later life
196:dachshunds
134:Early life
59:1952-10-18
1403:Loureedia
1375:John Cale
1035:Metallica
1019:John Zorn
1007:John Cale
991:John Cale
961:The Raven
891:The Bells
320:the Bronx
308:Manhattan
140:Bridgeton
79:Manhattan
1345:Box sets
933:New York
926:Mistrial
835:Lou Reed
807:Lou Reed
371:(2020).
363:drummer
347:(1996);
335:(1995);
247:suicidal
116:Lou Reed
83:New York
1254:Vicious
1228:Singles
954:Ecstasy
648:YouTube
1033:(with
1017:(with
1005:(with
989:(with
849:Berlin
743:. 2021
374:Actor
326:Legacy
85:, U.S.
1459:Muses
1183:Retro
711:canoe
298:Death
275:Creem
1380:Nico
1030:Lulu
1021:and
995:Nico
993:and
749:2021
723:2021
671:WBEZ
600:2021
563:2021
464:2021
438:2021
411:2021
339:and
126:and
118:. A
112:muse
68:Died
53:Born
1238:"/"
343:'s
281:In
169:in
1445::
765:.
739:.
709:.
691:.
680:^
668:.
657:^
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