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Place of late The Who guitarists’ death a popular room
LAS VEGAS — A Las Vegas hotel is rebuffing requests from guests who want to book the room where The Who bass guitarist John Entwistle died last week.
“We would prefer that the room number never get publicly identified, out of respect for John Entwistle and the band,” Don Marrandino, Hard Rock president and chief operating officer, said in a statement released Tuesday.
Entwistle was found dead Thursday of an apparent heart attack. Clark County Coroner Ron Flud has said it could take weeks before a cause of death is known.
The Hard Rock left the room vacant over the weekend before making it available for occupancy Monday.
“We wanted to treat it with dignity and respect,” Marrandino told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We’re not going to put a plaque up there or anything else. I think a room a guy dies in is not a positive marketing opportunity.”
The Hard Rock, known for its collection of rock ’n’ roll memorabilia, might create a permanent onsite memorial to Entwistle if bandmates approve.
Executives also are debating whether to distribute, destroy or auction several thousand commemorative gambling chips that were to have been issued before Friday’s concert at the Hard Rock.
