10 More Deserving Winners Of Time's "Person Of The Year" Than The Pope

9. Lou Reed

Reed's passing in late-2013 brought with it the usual slew of obituaries and eulogising of a man who had continually strove to do it his own way. Artistically he remained on another level, bringing forth tales of urban decay, personal pitfalls, the myriad perils of drug abuse and the general madness that would follow spending years with the likes of Andy Warhol. Reed also had something of a reputation for being a cantankerous so-and-so. His series of interviews with the late, great music journalist Lester Bangs were less discussions about music than a litany of verbal brawls; terse stand-offs that eventually reduced the usually unflinching and combative Bangs to an emotional breakdown. Reed tended to treat other journalists with a remarkable amount of disdain. Curt answers were supplied and the individuals themselves given no more than very short shrift. Thus, it's remarkable that with Reed's death came an outpouring of tributes to a man who had tried and tested people's patience to the limit and still was able to have them eating from the palm of his hand. That has to be worth something. Ultimately, even with a long and arduous career, we still will never know the full extent of his powers.