Rock Musician. He was the bass guitarist for the Rock band "The Who." Born in Chiswick, a London, England, suburb, in his youth, he received musical training in the French horn, trumpet, and piano. At the age of fourteen, he joined a band formed by his friend, Teddy Fuligar, a band in which he played the trumpet. Before long, however, he had taken up the bass guitar, though he continued to make use of the trumpet and French horn throughout his career. After parting ways with Fuligar's band, he and his friend Pete Townshend formed a duo called "The Confederates." The two boys later played in two other bands together, "The Aristocrats" and "The Scorpions," before John Entwistle got an offer from Roger Daltrey, the lead guitarist of a band called "The Detours," to join him and his band as their bass player. He accepted the offer, and asked if Townsend might be allowed to join the group as well. This done, the band membership was completed by Colin Dawson on lead vocals and Doug Sandom on the drums. By 1964, the band had become known as "The High Numbers," and, in 1965, they were renamed "The Who." By this time, Dawson left the group, replaced by Daltrey on vocals; Sandom had also gone, replaced by Keith Moon. John Entwistle revolutionized the role of the bass player and the instrument itself, through continued experimentation with amplifiers to achieve a louder and more unique sound. Prior to this time, the bass had never been considered capable of being a lead instrument. He was also one of the first bass players to have a solo on a Rock song. In addition to achieving a distinctive sound, he also changed the technique of playing the instrument. He developed a way to play several strings at once by positioning his hand over the strings, as well as the technique of playing one string with several fingers at once. This earned him the nickname "Thunderfingers." Often asked whom his own favorite bass player was, he would reply, "Me, of course." In addition to playing the bass, he also wrote and sang on a number of songs during his time in "The Who." These songs include "Boris the Spider," "Whiskey Man," "My Wife," "Trick of the Light," "905," "Silas Stingy," "When I Was a Boy," "Cousin Kevin," and "The Quiet One." Only very rarely did Daltrey sing lead on a song Entwistle had written. He was the first member of "The Who" to release a solo album, "Smash Your Head Against the Wall," in 1971. Other solo albums included "Rigor Mortis Sets In" (1973), "Whistle Rhymes" (1972), "Mad Dog" (1975), and "Too Late the Hero" (1981). Later in his career, after the band had broken up, he formed a new group, "The John Entwistle Band," with drummer Steve Luongo and guitarist/vocalist Godfrey Townshend (no relation to Pete Townshend), and keyboardist Alan St. Jon. He continued to play and tour with this band in between various "Who" reunion tours. This new band also put out an album, "Left for Live," in 1998; the album was later rereleased in 2002 in a deluxe two-disc edition. He died of a heart attack at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on the eve of the first show of "The Who's" summer 2002 tour. He was fifty-seven years old.