Ox R.I.P.

It's the 10th anniversary of the death of John Entwistle.

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the death of Who bassist John Entwistle. The band was in Las Vegas, scheduled to start a tour, when Entwistle, 57, who had a history of heart problems, died of a heart attack brought on by cocaine use. Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend immediately recruited British bass player Pino Paladino and did the tour as The Who.

Daltrey and Townshend are remembering their bandmate, who they affectionately called The Ox. Daltrey says, "So it's 10 years on from that sunny day in L.A. when I got a phone call from Pete telling me of John’s death. It seems like yesterday. I still think of him often. I miss his love, his friendship and his wonderful dry sense of humor. The great thing for me about playing our music 'live,' even with different bass players who don't have the same sound, is that John is right there on the stage with me. [The late drummer] Keith [Moon] too. I have said from the stage many times that the thunder they created in their lifetimes still echoes around the universe. It always will."

Townshend, who wrote a lengthy essay on Entwistle on The Who's website, says in part, "When we speak about loving someone, there is always something unsaid. We love people we do not like. We like people we can never love.... I loved John, I liked him, I respected him, and I miss him. Some people are utterly without peer. When they are gone they leave an immense vacuum. So it is with John."

The John Entwistle Foundation, created to do charitable work in his name, has started an eBay store offering collectible items as fundraisers.