The Who's John Entwistle Dead

crazyj was among several Slashdot readers who, knowing my obsession with the greatest band of all time, submitted that The Who's John Entwistle died. His death occured one day before the start of their summer tour. The Ox was an amazing bassist, and I'm glad I got to see him play. Those fingers would just fly up that fretboard. He'll be missed.

Comments

Rest in peace, Ox.

[uncoveror]

I picked up a bass guitar when I was in College from 1997 to 1981 because of players like John Entwistle. I will miss him. I had to sell it in the summer of 96 when I was out of work, and needed to eat. I get a chuckle every time I see the video for My Generation. When Moon, Townshend, and Daltrey start smashing things, John cradled his bass like a baby, and stepped away from them. Rest in peace, Ox.

I met him once

[I_am_Syrinx]

In March of '96, my company flew me to Chicago for a week on business. The first night I was there, one of my co-workers showed me around town. I saw the sights, and quite a few bars. We were staying at the Omni Ambassador East Hotel, so our last stop of the night was the Pump Room, the hotel restaurant and bar. We ordered some glasses of Cabernet at the bar, and settled down to discuss the agenda for the following day. As we were speaking, two gentleman and and a few ladies came in and took positions on bar stools very nearby to me. I looked over and recognized Mr. Entwhistle. After talking with my friend about the star-sighting, I asked the bartender what he was drinking, and if he would mind if I bought him one. She said she'd ask. A couple of minutes later, she stopped near him and motioned towards me. He looked over, I nodded my head and smiled, and he nodded back. He accepted the drink, and continued speaking with his friends. Being totally hammered from drinking all night, I thought that was pretty cool. A nod from a legendary rock star. Wow! A few more minutes passed, and we decided that we should probably get some sleep, since we actually had to work the next day. With my alcohol-soaked balls-of-steel, I took a pen and a "Pump Room" bar napkin and approached him. "Mr. Entwhistle?" I said. He looked at me with a bemused expression. "Yes?" he said. "I would like to thank you for the great music you and your band have put out over the years, and it's a pleasure to meet you. Could I please get your autograph?" I proferred him the pen and bar-nap. He took them, signed his name, and returned them to me. "Thank you very much," I said. "Quite alright," he replied. With that, my co-worker and I returned to our rooms, and passed out.

The Who was supposed to play here (LA) in 2 days. It is a great loss to the fans of the band in particular, and to Rock and Roll in general. Mr. Entwhistle was a class act. Thanks for the memories.

-Sy