People love to conspire after a rock star’s death, and the Who’s John Entwistle has been the protagonist of various theories. However, drummer Steve Luongo expressed that he considers these theories unnecessary while speaking to Ray Shasho and discussed Entwistle’s problematic lifestyle, which he believes led to his death.
John died unexpectedly in 2002 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Paradise, Nevada, right before the Who’s 2002 tour in the United States. His death was ruled as a heart attack, justified by his deteriorating health, but people started to conspire since the rocker was found dead in a hotel room. Steve Luogo, however, addressed that there was nothing to plot about.
“It’s very easy to say, you know, John Entwistle died from this, that, or the other thing,” admitted the drummer. “It’s sensational; it’s a Hard Rock Hotel; it’s the night before a tour. You know, that’s like a blaze of glory which John would’ve probably said, ‘Yeah, go with that.’”
Nonetheless, his former bandmate believes that John’s deteriorating health left no place for conspiracies. He said, “But the truth is he had three major blockages. So, it wouldn’t have been the same story if he was downstairs on the treadmill and had the heart attack there or in the middle of a bass solo that night at the show and had the heart attack there… It just happened to be a bit more rock star than that.”
Luongo continued, “You know, people ask, ‘What killed him?’ Being John Entwistle killed him. Every cigarette, every brandy, every fried, whatever. We dictate our lives by our choices, and those were John’s choices.” Speaking on Entwistle’s fear of seeking medical help, Steve said, “He was scared to death. I think what fooled him is… His mother lived, and she had heart problems. That’s where he believed he got them from, but she outlived him by leaps and bounds.”
Steve Luogo blamed John’s lifestyle for the rocker’s death and addressed that his death wasn’t as mysterious as people claimed it was. From Jimi Hendrix to Ian Curtis, people have loved to discuss various conspiracies or blame multiple factors, but the truth is there most of the time. Rock stars often deal with substance use, alcoholism, and depression, so sometimes being a rock star is what might kill them.
