Lou Reed Posthumously Forgives Mother For His "Ex-Gay" Electroshock Torture

In an interview published in the 1996 book Please Kill Me: An Oral History Of Punk, the late Lou Reed described the electro-convulsive therapy his parents ordered because they wanted to cure him of his bisexuality. 

"They put the thing down your throat so you don't swallow your tongue, and they put electrodes on your head. That's what was recommended in Rockland State Hospital to discourage homosexual feelings. The effect is that you lose your memory and become a vegetable. You can't read a book because you get to page 17 and have to go right back to page one again."

Reed famously railed against the abuses of his parents in his 1974 song, Kill Your Sons.

Reed's will was filed in a Manhattan court on Monday. While he left 75% of his fortune to his wife Laurie Anderson in a bequest that includes homes, boats, and publishing royalties, Reed also left a quarter of his estate to his sister in the hopes that she'll care for their 93 year-old mother.  From the will: "It is my hope and desire, without imposing any legal obligation, that my said sister will use a portion of this cash bequest to help care for our mother, Toby Reed, for the balance of her life."