COCAINE LED TO DEATH OF WHO'S BASS GUITARIST

Friends and fans of John Entwhistle, the Who's bass guitarist, were shocked
to hear that he died from a heart attack triggered by cocaine.

The official report from the Las Vegas coroner's office found that his death
was caused by a "significant amount of cocaine" that exacerbated a heart
problem.

Entwhistle, 57, was found dead in his hotel room in the city on June 27, the
day before the band was due to start a North American tour.

He was on drugs for a heart condition and it has been said that he was
warned that the stress of playing with the band could endanger his life.Ron
Flud, Clark County coroner, said the cocaine Entwhistle took was
insufficient to kill him so ruled out an overdose. But he concluded the
death was an accident because the drug caused the contraction of coronary
arteries already damaged by heart disease.

He said: "You've got a lethal drug on board at the time you have a bad
heart. That's a bad combination. The amount of cocaine is not really
important because everyone has different tolerance levels. He could have
been doing a lot, but in his medical condition he should not have been doing
any."

When Entwhistle's body was found in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino police
said the death was not suspicious and no evidence of alcohol or drug abuse
had been found. They are not reopening the case.

The death of Entwhistle echoed that of Keith Moon, the band's original
drummer, who died of an accidental drugs overdose in 1978. Guitarist Pete
Townshend has confessed that he nearly died from of drink and drugs during
the Eighties.

Entwhistle had admitted to using cocaine and marijuana in the past, but was
believed to have cleaned himself up.

An inquest opened in Britain this month by Dr Sophie Burrows, deputy coroner
at Cheltenham Coroner's Court, was adjourned pending the American test
results.