Reed was born as Darren Arthur Reed on June 18, 1963 in Hinsdale, Illinois, and was raised in Colorado. Reed was described as reclusive and introverted, however he has since denied this. His grandmother began teaching him to play the organ when he was a young child, and before he was out of elementary school, he formed small local bands.

Reed met the classic lineup of Guns N’ Roses in 1985 while his band, The Wild, rehearsed in a neighboring studio. He kept in touch, and in 1990 was invited by friend Axl Rose to join the group for the recording of the two Use Your Illusion albums.

Reed continues to record and play live with the current Guns N’ Roses line-up, and has now been a member of Guns N’ Roses longer than any other member besides Axl Rose. However, since he joined the band in 1990, five years after its formation in 1985, he cannot be described as an original member, nor a member of the “classic” lineup. Although Reed did not co write any songs during the Illusion sessions, for Chinese Democracy he co wrote “Street of Dreams” with Axl Rose and Tommy Stinson and “There Was a Time” and “I.R.S” with Rose and Paul Tobias, as well as the non-album single “Oh My God” with Rose and Tobias. It has also been confirmed that the unfinished demo that did not make the cut on Chinese Democracy called “Silkworms” was written by Reed himself and the band’s other keyboardist Chris Pitman. As well as singing during Guns N’ Roses live performances, Reed also serves as a backing vocalist. He sang backing vocals on a few songs on the “Use Your Illusion” albums, notable examples were “November Rain”, “Garden of Eden”, “Bad Apples” and “Civil War” as well as “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory” from “The Spaghetti Incident?”.

Reed has also dabbled in acting, appearing as ‘Mumbles’ in the 2005 film Charlie’s Death Wish.

In 2005, Reed took the unusual step of seeking admission to a college fraternity well after the traditional age of inductees, and on January 22, 2006 was admitted to the Cornell University chapter of Zeta Psi.

Outside of Guns N’ Roses, Reed played on albums for his former bandmates Slash, Duff McKagan, and Gilby Clarke. He also guested on former Guns N’ Roses bassist Tommy Stinson’s 2004 solo effort Village Gorilla Head. Reed is additionally a fan of Larry Norman, a pioneer of Christian music, and played on Norman’s Copper Wires album. Most recently, he has composed music for the film scores The Still Life, released in 2006, and Celebrity Art Show (2008). His debut solo album will be released on February 16, 2018.

Reed was divorced after 20 years of marriage, to wife Lisa, an author, and special education teacher, filed for divorce in 2010. They have two daughters; Skye, born in 1992 and Shade born in 1996. He also has one son from a previous relationship, Justin Gunn-Reed, born in 1988.

Reed was a member of The Dead Daisies alongside Guns N’ Roses guitarist Richard Fortus, both left the band in 2015 to focus on Guns N’ Roses.

Reed played keyboard on the 2019 album “You’re Welcome” by Cokie The Clown, a solo effort by NOFX frontman Fat Mike.