Fans mourn death of Who’s Entwistle

Stephen Curran and Keith Paul

Friday, June 28, 2002 | 11:19 a.m.

For information on refunds for tonight's canceled The Who concert, ticketholders should go to where they bought their ticket, or call the Hard Rock at693-5000.

For 37-year-old James Mershon, The Who was more than a band -- it was a major part of his life.

Since he first saw the band in 1980, the special projects coordinator from Arlington, Texas, said he has seen them in concert a dozen times. He even set up a website devoted to Who trivia and information.

Mershon was one of many Who fans gathered at an impromptu memorial for The Who bassist John Entwistle outside the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel on Thursday.

"I'm just numb," said Mershon, who had bought an Entwistle print that he hoped to have signed Thursday night at an Entwistle appearance at the Aladdin. "I can't believe it."

Entwistle, 57, was found dead in his hotel room at the Hard Rock on Thursday. An autopsy will be conducted today to determine a cause of death, but Metro Police do not suspect any foul play.

The Who had been scheduled to kick off a 17-city tour tonight at the Joint at the Hard Rock. The show has been canceled. Mershon had purchased tickets to see The Who in New York and in Dallas at a cost of over $800.

At the Grammy gallery in the Desert Passage Mall at the Aladdin, where Entwistle was scheduled to appear Thursday night for a signing of his artwork, collectors and Who fans flocked to look at or buy his watercolor paintings. For many, however, their search was in vain, as Entwistle's estate has put a hold on his original artwork, which was fetching between $3,000 and $9,000 per piece before his death.

While Gallery Director Darcy Goodwin declined to speculate on whether Entwistle's work would increase in value, he said values often increase when an artist dies.

Goodwin said many prospective buyers have tried to negotiate to buy a piece of the artwork, to no avail.

"People will always try to negotiate, but this is non-negotiable," he said.

Prints of his work, though, were still available and selling fast.

Las Vegas attorney and self-described Who fanatic Joe Ganley paid $2,000 for a print of a 1975 album cover. Ganley, who has seen the band perform between 25 and 30 times, said the purchase was a sentimental one.

Ganley started listening to The Who when he was 12, and said the band had a sound that "just moved him."

It moved him so much that he bought tickets to the concert in Las Vegas as well as New York City, Sacramento and Boston. The 28 tickets he bought for the Boston show -- he planned on treating family and friends -- cost him almost $5,000.

He plans on keeping the tickets, he said.

And, while the artwork may increase in value, Ganley said he will never sell it.

"It doesn't matter what it's worth," he said. "I'll keep it for the rest of my life."

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

Lt. Tom Monahan of Metro's homicide unit said there are all indications point that Entwistle died of natural causes.

"He appeared to have died in his sleep," Monahan said. "There is no evidence whatsoever of any drug use. No evidence whatsoever of any violence. There is no evidence of anything but a natural death."

A 911 call about noon Thursday reported a death in a room on the sixth floor of the hotel. Homicide detectives were called even though the death appeared natural.

Police said they are not conducting an investigation because the death appears natural.

Monahan said detectives are sometimes called out to a scene where no foul play is suspected just in case something is found during the autopsy to indicate the death was not natural.

"While it appears natural, we also know that we can't make that conclusion until after (the) autopsy," Monahan said.

Dr. Gary Telgenhoff is scheduled to perform the autopsy today, but toxicology test results could take several weeks.

For fans, the death of Entwistle leaves a hole in the world of rock and roll. Henderson resident Tom Holtan, 44, fears that Entwistle's death could spell the end of The Who.

"I would hate to see that happen," he said. "There's so much talent between the (surviving) two. We need them to carry on."