The Las Vegas hotel where The Who bass guitarist John Entwistle died has turned down requests from guests wanting to book the room where he was found.

The Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas is refusing to reveal the number of the room where Entwistle died of a suspected heart attack to stop it being turned into a shrine.

Entwistle, who was 57, died of a suspected heart attack on 27 June, the eve of the scheduled start of The Who's US tour.

We wanted to treat it with dignity and respect

Don Marrandino, Hard Rock president

"We would prefer that the room number never get publicly identified, out of respect for John Entwistle and the band," said Don Marrandino, Hard Rock president.

The room was left empty in the days following his death but is now back in use.

"We wanted to treat it with dignity and respect," Mr 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 hotel is considering erecting a memorial but will only go ahead with the plan if the surviving members of The Who agree.

Floral tributes have been left at the hotel

Executives also are deciding 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.

The show was to have been the band's first night of their US tour but was cancelled following the announcement of Entwistle's death.

But the tour has now begun with Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend deciding the show must go on and dedicating performances to their late friend.

Session bass player Pino Palladino stepped in at the last minute to replace Entwistle.

Giant screens played a video of the group rehearsing at Townshend's home, just two weeks before Entwistle's death.

The results of post-mortem are not expected to be released for three months, when a full toxicology test will have been completed.