Tewkesbury coroner's court in rural Gloucestershire, a far cry from the suite at the Hard Rock Hotel, 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, Nevada, where the guitarist was found dead on June 27 this year, heard that Entwistle had taken a moderate quantity of the drug three or four hours before he died.
Few days earlier he said he was feeling like "an 18-year-old in a 57-year-old body.
"Although Entwistle's female companion was not identified at the inquest she is known to be Alison Rowse, 32, who dances under the stage name Sianna at the city's Deja Vu club. A self-confessed Who groupie, she would meet up with the rock star whenever he was in town.
Tewkesbury coroner's court in rural Gloucestershire, a far cry from the suite at the Hard Rock Hotel, 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, Nevada, where the guitarist was found dead on June 27 , heard that Entwistle had taken a moderate quantity of the drug three or four hours before he died.Although it was not enough to cause death by overdose, the coroner, Lester Maddrell, concluded that the effect of the cocaine on a pre-existing but undiagnosed heart condition had been enough to kill Entwistle.The court heard that the 57-year-old musician had spent the evening before he died in the bar of the hotel with friends and groupies . The group, notorious for living life to excess during their heyday in the 60s and 70s, were on the eve of a US tour.
On another occasion, in Houston, Daltrey, eternally complaining about John’s bass level, reprimanded him onstage by demanding that he “turn the fuck down”. John countered with, “Well, you play the fucking thing then”. The normally unflappable bassist then locked himself in the dressing room and refused to return for the encore. Curbishley tried in vain to persuade him otherwise but John was livid and would not be assuaged. Curbishley finally pleaded through the door, “If you won’t come back because of Roger, would you at least consider coming back for the 10,000 people outside that are cheering for you?” There was a silence and then a casual but gruff, “Yeah, I suppose I could do it for them.” (Written by Chris Charlesworth for Bass Guitar Magazine.)
PETE TOWNSHEND RECALLS: "I have to say as a guitar player, I prefer working without John," he admitted regarding the loss of the Who's masterful bass player, John Entwistle, who died in 2002. "When John died, there was a hole in the sound onstage and I was able to grow into that and find space."
Nobody will ever be able to replicate what he did.