I was shocked to see Lou Reed’s name on the list of 2015 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, a class formed a full 17 years after his initial eligibility. Reed was nominated in 2000 and 2001 before finally making it in 2015.

The long delay made more sense after I learned The Velvet Underground was inducted back in 1996. Even that seminal group had to wait its turn, however, with nominations each of its first five years of eligibility before getting voted in.

Reed certainly had a bigger impact on rock music as a founding member of The Velvet Underground than he did as a solo artist, but I have no problem whatsoever with him making it into the Hall twice.

His early solo work contributed to the popularity of glam rock, while his words put him in conversation with Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Bruce Springsteen as a lyricist. He released more than 20 solo albums over 40 years, rarely finding commercial success but continuing to innovate even as he battled addiction.

Reed died of liver disease in 2013 at age 71, two years before he was inducted into the Rock Hall. No doubt his passing had something to do with him making the cut 14 years after he was last rejected.