Pete Townshend: The Who Should Have Stopped 48 Years Ago

Pete Townshend has revealed in a recent interview that he believes he should have stopped playing with The Who following the death of Keith Moon 48 years ago. Speaking with Classic Album Review, the guitarist reflected on the losses that shaped the band’s later decades and his own long-standing desire to step away from touring.

Looking Back at the Tragic Losses

Townshend discussed how the sudden death of bassist John Entwistle impacted the group right as they were preparing to go on tour. He recalled speaking to frontman Roger Daltrey about the situation when the news broke.

“We got this word that three days before we were supposed to move from LA to Hollywood Bowl where we had two shows in LA that John Entwistle had died, and I remember saying to Rog who was in bits ‘Pete, Pete, what do we do?’ And I said ‘Well, if I’m honest Rog, I would love to stop’,” Townshend said.

The guitarist admitted that he had wanted a reason to stop touring for some time, looking back even further to the 1978 death of drummer Keith Moon. “I always wanted to stop, I always wanted a reason to stop,” Townshend said. “When Keith Moon died I should’ve stopped but instead I went on.”

Financial Realities After Entwistle’s Passing

While Townshend did not elaborate extensively on his mindset after Moon’s passing, he noted that the circumstances surrounding Entwistle’s death left the band with strict financial realities. He explained that insurance would not cover the bassist’s death given the specific causes involved, leaving the remaining members facing heavy costs.

“We knew John Entwistle had died from sex with a prostitute and a huge amount of cocaine, so we wouldn’t get our insurance, so between us we had to come up with about $30million which was completely out of our scope to pay everybody and make up with our audience and to rebuild the band and come back over again. So we didn’t have the option,” Townshend said.

Recalling Daltrey’s perspective at the time, Townshend added, “I felt we didn’t have any options, and [Roger] said ‘We’ve got a show coming up in two days’ and I said, ‘I think we have to go on’.”

An Emotional Farewell

The Who ultimately played a final farewell show in October 2025, with Townshend confirming that touring has wrapped up for good. He described a surprisingly emotional conclusion to their road career alongside Daltrey.

“I got him laughing, I got him smiling,” Townshend said. “We were hugging and telling each other that we loved each other, which is not something that has happened until now, so it was a great tour for me.”