What was John Entwistle’s Net Worth?
John Entwistle was a British musician, singer, songwriter, and producer who had a net worth of $50 million at the time of his death in 2002. John Entwistle passed away on June 27, 2002 at the age of 57 due to a heart attack induced by cocaine. He was best known for being the bass guitar player for the British band The Who.
John started playing the piano at seven years old and switched the trumpet at 11. He played French horn and met Pete Townshend in school as part of the jazz band The Confederates. He switched to guitar and then bass due to his large fingers and fondness for low notes. He joined Roger Daltrey’s band The Detours.
The Who formed in 1964. To date The Who has sold over 100 million records. They recorded 11 studio albums and their biggest hits include:
- “I Can’t Explain”
- “My Generation”
- “Substitute”
- “Happy Jack”
- “I Can See for Miles”
- “Pinball Wizard”
- “Baba O’Riley”
In 1990 The Who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Entwistle was named as the greatest bassist of all time by a Rolling Stone readers’ poll in 2011. He released seven solo studio albums in addition to his work with The Who.
Early Life
Entwistle was born on October 9, 1944 in Chiswick, London, England. An only child, his parents were Herbert and Maud Entwistle, though their marriage fell apart soon after he was born. He was primarily raised by his mother at his grandparents’ house in South Acton. Due to the stigma attached to divorce at the time, Entwistle did not socialize very much and was a reserved child.
At the age of 7, Entwistle started taking piano lessons and then switched to playing the trumpet when he was 11, followed by the French horn. During his second year of school, he met Pete Townshend and the two formed a jazz band together called the Confederates. However, they soon switched their focus to rock and roll. Because it was difficult to play the trumpet or horn with this type of music, Entwistle switched to playing bass guitar. He was then invited by Roger Daltrey, who was a year above Entwistle at school, to join his band, the Detours, as bassist.
Career
After joining the Detours, Entwistle insisted that Townshend be allowed to join the band as well as a guitarist. After some transitioning of members, the resulting band consisted of Daltrey, Townshend, Keith Moon, and Entwistle and went by the name the Who. By this time, the band had already found regular performing gigs at various locations around the city. They were signed to Shel Talmy’s production company in 1964 and released the single “I Can’t Explain” in 1964, which became popular on underground radio stations. In early 1965, the Who made their first appearance on the popular television music show, “Top of the Pops.”
Over the next decades, The Who established itself as part of the pop art and mod movements, releasing one popular single after another. Some of their hits included “My Generation,” “Substitute,” and “I Can See for Miles.” Their 1969 album, “Tommy,” was a critical and commercial success. Throughout the 1970s, their popularity grew with hits like “Baba O’Riley” and “Behind Blue Eyes.” The group ultimately split in 1983, but would reform occasionally for live shows in the years afterward.
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Entwistle was known for being one of the more reserved members of the band, but his influence on the band’s decisions was substantial, both musically and in the clothing they wore and image they projected. In addition to his work with The Who, Entwistle also released solo work. He was the first member to release a solo album, “Smash Your Head Against the Wall,” in 1971. He went on to release more solo albums through the subsequent decades.
After The Who broke up in the 1980s, Entwistle toured with the Best, a short-lived supergroup that consisted of Keith Emerson, Joe Walsh, Jeff Baxter, and Simon Phillips. He also formed the John Entwistle Project which then evolved into the John Entwistle Band.
Outside of music, Entwistle also was an artist. What began as simple line drawings and caricatures of people like Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, and Jimmy Page evolved into more lifelike drawings. Throughout the late 1990s and into the 2000s, Entwistle attended many art openings that featured his work, often personalizing the pieces that collectors purchased with a quote.
Personal Life
In 1967, Entwistle married his childhood sweetheart, Alison Wise. The two had a son together, Christopher, though they later divorced in 1991. Entwistle was known to be a bit of a womanizer, including during his marriage to Wise. He met Maxene Harlow in 1979 when she was 22 years old. After his divorce from Wise, he married Harlow, though their relationship was marred by heavy drinking and drug use. Their marriage eventually ended when he had an affair with Lisa Pritchett-Johnson, who at the time was the girlfriend of his friend, Joe Walsh of The Eagles. The two began a relationship which was equally focused on partying and involved heavy cocaine use.
Home and Collections
Entwistle was known to be something of an eccentric collector. He lived in a 17-bedroom mansion in Quarwood that resembled a museum. It was full of bizarre objects and artifacts like suits of armor and stuffed animals. It also housed one of the largest guitar collections belonging to a musician in the world.
Death
On June 27, 2002, Entwistle died at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Paradise, Nevada, one day before the Who was scheduled to begin their United States tour. He was 57 years old and had spent the previous evening with a local stripper, Alycen Rowse, partying and taking copious amounts of cocaine. The medical examiner determined his death was caused by a cocaine-induced heart attack. Entwistle already suffered from severe heart disease and smoked around 20 cigarettes per day.
His funeral was held at St. Edward’s Church in Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, England on July 10, 2002. A memorial service was later held on October 24 in London and Entwistle’s large collection of guitars and basses was auctioned at Sotheby’s in London by his son. Following his death, many of those closest to him were surprised to learn that Entwistle had spent much of his life as a Freemason.