The Who Bassist John Entwistle Dies
Thu Jun 27, 9:37 PM ET
By KEN RITTER, Associated Press Writer

[url]http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=716&e=3&cid=514&u=/ap/20020628/ap_on_en_mu/obit_entwistle_11[/url]

LAS VEGAS (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 band member Steve Luongo.

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 July 1 in Los Angeles were canceled. The rest of the tour was undecided, said Beckye Levin of promoter Clear Channel Entertainment.

The group, founded in London in the early 1960s, was part of the British rock invasion along with the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and others. They were 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."

"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 and roll," added rocker Sammy Hagar.

Entwistle's song writing 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.

It is sad to hear of his passing.  He was truly one of the greatest bass players of all time. [V]

A masterful musician. Even his choice of basses, the Buzzard was so avanced for its time. I play a Schecter 5-string and a Dean Q6 6-string and can only begin to replicate the sound created by those custom Buzzard basses.

I'll listen to Quadrophenia a few times in his honor.

RIP  A truly sad passing.  One of the few bassists in rock history to really have been an inovator with a distinct style and sound.  A damn shame, he was genuinely a nice guy and will be missed.

I didn't see this Thread...so I did my own...

Anyway... to quote Townshend and Daltrey...

"Long Live Rock....! Be It Dead or Alive.."

"Hope I die before I get old"

Age is relevant, but from my perspective, he did.  RIP John.

Another sad day for us old rockers!

"Won't get fooled again" is right up there with my top two or three songs ever!

May he Rest in Peace!

I hope he and Keith Moon are burning one together right now!

Hey, this is my first post as a real team member!