Who bassist’s death linked to cocaine use

Keith Paul

Friday, July 26, 2002 | 9:50 a.m.

Legendary rock bassist John Entwistle of The Who died in a Hard Rock hotel room last month from a heart attack caused by using cocaine, the Clark County coroner said Thursday.

Entwistle's death on June 27 was ruled an accident. While he had "a significant amount of cocaine in his system," Coroner Ron Flud said the death was not an overdose.

"He didn't have an amount of cocaine in his system to be an overdose, but he died from a heart attack brought on by the ingestion of cocaine," Flud said. "He had a previous heart condition and cocaine caused the heart to (work harder). The combination of a good heart and cocaine is not good and the combination of a bad heart and cocaine is worse."

The 57-year-old rock star was found dead in his bed on the sixth floor of the Hard Rock. The autopsy showed evidence that he had a previous heart attack.

Metro Police came to the room the day of the death as a precaution in case an autopsy proved the death was other than natural causes or accidental. With the coroner's office finding, Sgt. Ken Hefner said, the death will not be investigated further.

Entwistle died the day before The Who was slated to kick off a 17-city tour at the Joint in the Hard Rock. The Las Vegas show was canceled as was a show in Irvine, Calif., but the band resumed its tour in California. The band is now touring the East Coast.

Along with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, The Who was considered one of the three greatest rock bands of the British Invasion. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

Throughout the 1960s and into the '80s, the band produced some of rock's most popular songs: "Magic Bus," "Pinball Wizard," "Baba O'Riley," "Who Are You" and "Won't Get Fooled Again," among other hits.

Since a "farewell tour" in 1982, The Who has reunited for several tours.

The loss of Entwistle leaves two surviving original members of The Who -- singer Pete Townshend and guitarist Roger Daltrey. The band's original drummer, Keith Moon, died of a drug overdose in 1978.