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LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- John Entwistle, the quiet, efficient bass player who co-founded The Who and helped it become one of the most dynamic and successful rock bands in history, was found dead of an apparent heart attack Thursday in his Las Vegas hotel room. He was 57.
Entwistle was on medication for a heart condition, according to Steve Luongo, a member of The John Entwistle Band.
An autopsy was scheduled for Friday, but Clark County officials said there was nothing suspicious about the death, which comes nearly a quarter-century after the band's original drummer, Keith Moon, died of an overdose at age 31.
The Who was to play at the Hard Rock Hotel-Casino on Friday, the first date of a three-month, nationwide tour. That show and another scheduled for Monday in Los Angeles were canceled. The status of the rest of the tour was undecided, said Beckye Levin of promoter Clear Channel Entertainment.
The Who, founded in London in the early 1960s, was part of the British rock invasion along with the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and others. The band was the voice of a new breed, with a parade of guitar-driven hits that included "My Generation," "I Can See For Miles," "I Can't Explain," "Substitute," "Pinball Wizard," "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Who Are You."
Their concerts were literally explosive -- a fusion of audacious acrobatics, martial precision and high-octane rock 'n' roll that blew away audiences and left the stage and their instruments a smoldering wreck. The group was one of the premier rock bands in the world throughout the 1970s and sold millions of albums.
"A lot of our fans liked us because we made mistakes. It made us look more human. And then the fact that we could actually sort of burst out laughing on stage when we made a real bad blunder," Entwistle told The Associated Press in a 1995 radio interview.
Entwistle allowed his fingers to literally race over his instrument, but he stood silently on stage -- a stark contrast to the antics of guitarist Pete Townshend and lead singer Roger Daltrey.
Ray Manzarek, keyboardist for The Doors, called Entwistle "one of the great, great rock 'n' roll bassists of all time. A real genius."
Added rocker Sammy Hagar: "He just was the most humble rock star I have ever met, besides having the best hands of any bass player in the history of rock 'n' roll."
Entwistle's songwriting contributions to the band were minimal compared with the prolific Townshend. The bass player penned "Boris the Spider" and "My Wife," among others -- none of them big hits. Yet he was the only member of the band with formal musical training.
He was among the first in rock to experiment with the six- and eight-string bass, and he also played the French horn.
"As a musician, he did for the bass guitar what Jimi Hendrix did for the guitar," said Luongo, 49, who played drums in The John Entwistle Band for the last 15 years.
Entwistle was born October 9, 1944, in London, and played piano and trumpet in his early years. He met Townshend and Daltrey in his high school years and by 1964 the band was born.
The Who played at the first Woodstock, opening with Entwistle's "Heaven and Hell," and churned out a succession of albums, including "My Generation," "Happy Jack," "The Who Sell Out," "Who's Next," "Quadrophenia," "Who Are You" and "The Kids Are Alright."
The group also made 1969's groundbreaking rock opera, "Tommy," about a "deaf, dumb and blind kid" who was a messiah. The album was turned into a film starring Ann-Margret in 1975 and later into a Broadway show.
Entwistle, in many instances, improvised as much as guitarist Townshend, who once said the bass player provided more lead material than he did.
"A lot of my playing is improvising," Entwistle explained to Bass Frontiers magazine in 1996. "I will just discover different little patterns or riffs in any key at anytime. Somewhere in my brain I have a list of things I can play. It's a matter of putting them in the right order."
He released the first of his nine solo albums in 1971 and later formed his own ensemble, Ox, while continuing to play with The Who.
The band retired in 1982 but reunited and toured frequently.
The Who gave a rousing performance at last year's "Concert for New York," which raised funds for the victims of the September 11 attacks, and their latest album, "Ultimate Collection," entered the Billboard charts two weeks ago at No. 31.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
Entwistle was also an artist and was in Las Vegas to open a show at Grammy's Art of Music Gallery at the Aladdin Hotel-Casino. His work included cartoon-type portraits of himself and his fellow band members.
The image of a quiet artist seemed to fit Entwistle, who often said he didn't worry about the wallflower label some applied to him.
"John always said that all the other personas in The Who were taken so he took that one," Luongo said.
Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Entwistle was on medication for a heart condition, according to Steve Luongo, a member of The John Entwistle Band.
An autopsy was scheduled for Friday, but Clark County officials said there was nothing suspicious about the death, which comes nearly a quarter-century after the band's original drummer, Keith Moon, died of an overdose at age 31.
The Who was to play at the Hard Rock Hotel-Casino on Friday, the first date of a three-month, nationwide tour. That show and another scheduled for Monday in Los Angeles were canceled. The status of the rest of the tour was undecided, said Beckye Levin of promoter Clear Channel Entertainment.
The Who, founded in London in the early 1960s, was part of the British rock invasion along with the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and others. The band was the voice of a new breed, with a parade of guitar-driven hits that included "My Generation," "I Can See For Miles," "I Can't Explain," "Substitute," "Pinball Wizard," "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Who Are You."
Their concerts were literally explosive -- a fusion of audacious acrobatics, martial precision and high-octane rock 'n' roll that blew away audiences and left the stage and their instruments a smoldering wreck. The group was one of the premier rock bands in the world throughout the 1970s and sold millions of albums.
"A lot of our fans liked us because we made mistakes. It made us look more human. And then the fact that we could actually sort of burst out laughing on stage when we made a real bad blunder," Entwistle told The Associated Press in a 1995 radio interview.
Entwistle allowed his fingers to literally race over his instrument, but he stood silently on stage -- a stark contrast to the antics of guitarist Pete Townshend and lead singer Roger Daltrey.
Ray Manzarek, keyboardist for The Doors, called Entwistle "one of the great, great rock 'n' roll bassists of all time. A real genius."
Added rocker Sammy Hagar: "He just was the most humble rock star I have ever met, besides having the best hands of any bass player in the history of rock 'n' roll."
Entwistle's songwriting contributions to the band were minimal compared with the prolific Townshend. The bass player penned "Boris the Spider" and "My Wife," among others -- none of them big hits. Yet he was the only member of the band with formal musical training.
He was among the first in rock to experiment with the six- and eight-string bass, and he also played the French horn.
"As a musician, he did for the bass guitar what Jimi Hendrix did for the guitar," said Luongo, 49, who played drums in The John Entwistle Band for the last 15 years.
Entwistle was born October 9, 1944, in London, and played piano and trumpet in his early years. He met Townshend and Daltrey in his high school years and by 1964 the band was born.
The Who played at the first Woodstock, opening with Entwistle's "Heaven and Hell," and churned out a succession of albums, including "My Generation," "Happy Jack," "The Who Sell Out," "Who's Next," "Quadrophenia," "Who Are You" and "The Kids Are Alright."
The group also made 1969's groundbreaking rock opera, "Tommy," about a "deaf, dumb and blind kid" who was a messiah. The album was turned into a film starring Ann-Margret in 1975 and later into a Broadway show.
Entwistle, in many instances, improvised as much as guitarist Townshend, who once said the bass player provided more lead material than he did.
"A lot of my playing is improvising," Entwistle explained to Bass Frontiers magazine in 1996. "I will just discover different little patterns or riffs in any key at anytime. Somewhere in my brain I have a list of things I can play. It's a matter of putting them in the right order."
He released the first of his nine solo albums in 1971 and later formed his own ensemble, Ox, while continuing to play with The Who.
The band retired in 1982 but reunited and toured frequently.
The Who gave a rousing performance at last year's "Concert for New York," which raised funds for the victims of the September 11 attacks, and their latest album, "Ultimate Collection," entered the Billboard charts two weeks ago at No. 31.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
Entwistle was also an artist and was in Las Vegas to open a show at Grammy's Art of Music Gallery at the Aladdin Hotel-Casino. His work included cartoon-type portraits of himself and his fellow band members.
The image of a quiet artist seemed to fit Entwistle, who often said he didn't worry about the wallflower label some applied to him.
"John always said that all the other personas in The Who were taken so he took that one," Luongo said.
Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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no subject
Date: 2002-06-28 10:40 am (UTC)From:i wasn't pleased that they merely rehashed quadrophenia, one of my least favorite albums of all time, but entwhistle took a ten minute solo that was one of the most zen experiences of my life.
the who sell out is one of my favorite albums ever.
no subject
Date: 2002-06-30 09:27 pm (UTC)From: