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Coroner: Cocaine in Who bassist's system

By J.M. KALIL 
REVIEW-JOURNAL 

Authorities said Thursday that recent cocaine use
caused the heart attack that killed legendary bass
guitarist John Entwistle in a Las Vegas hotel room
last month. 

Clark County Coroner Ron Flud ruled the death of the
57-year-old member of The Who was accidental. 

"It was not an overdose load," Flud said of the
cocaine in Entwistle's system. "What you have is a
person with a bad heart who already has buildup in his
arteries with restricted blood flow. When you take on
cocaine, it's going to restrict those arteries more
and make the heart work harder, and that was a problem
in this case." 

Entwistle's body was found June 27 in his room at the
Hard Rock Hotel, where the band was scheduled to kick
off a North American tour the next day. Hotel
officials declined comment Thursday. 

A cigarette smoker who was known to take heart
medication, Entwistle routinely underwent physical
examinations before embarking on a concert tour, said
Steve Luongo, a drummer who toured with Entwistle as
part of another band. 

Reached at his New York home Thursday, renowned
forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden reviewed the
findings of the Entwistle autopsy for the
Review-Journal. 

Baden, who has conducted more than 20,000 autopsies
and served as New York City medical examiner from 1960
to 1985, explained Entwistle suffered from a hardening
of the heart arteries complicated by high blood
pressure. 

"This is a fellow who had severe heart disease and
would've died earlier in life than average, but the
cocaine pushed him over before that," said Baden, who
participated in the O.J. Simpson murder case and the
Ted Binion murder trial. 

UNLV professor Dave Hickey, an internationally
recognized art critic and former rock journalist,
interviewed Entwistle in the early 1970s. 

"It doesn't surprise me. It's kind of the classic tale
isn't it, the rock star dying from taking drugs," said
Hickey, a frequent pop culture commentator who last
year received a $50,000 MacArthur Foundation
Fellowship. "He's obviously a part of his generation,
and you still see a lot of rock stars from that
generation still doing drugs. It's really sad." 

Keith Moon, the drummer for The Who, died nearly a
quarter-century ago of a drug overdose at age 31. 

Widely considered the best bassist in rock 'n' roll
history, Entwistle co-founded the band in London 42
years ago. 

The Who captured the rebellious spirit of the 1960s
with their early hit anthem "My Generation" before
going on to sell millions of records featuring songs
such as "I Can't Explain," "Substitute," "Pinball
Wizard," "I Can See For Miles," "Baba O'Riley" and
"Who Are You." 

Surviving band members Pete Townshend and Roger
Daltrey canceled their Las Vegas show at The Joint and
the following night's concert in Irvine, Calif., but
are continuing with a new bass player for the rest of
the stops on the three-month tour.


=====
-Brian in Atlanta
The Who This Month!
http://www.thewhothismonth.com
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