Entwistle guitars for sale

Entwistle died in Las Vegas before The Who's tour

Guitars, photographs and other personal effects belonging to the late bass player John Entwistle are to be auctioned in a £500,000 Sotheby's sale.

The London auctioneers are selling 350 items belonging to The Who musician who died in a Las Vegas hotel room last June.

The 57-year-old who had a house in Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, was about to join fellow band members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey on a US tour.

Among the lots to be sold are stage costumes and 150 guitars, while two of the rarer instruments - a Gibson Explorer and Gibson Flying V guitar - are expected to fetch up to £100,000.

John Entwistle was found dead in a Las Vegas hotel room

His favourite bass guitar, assembled from five other instruments and known as Frankenstein, could fetch £7,000.

His partner, Lisa Pritchett-Johnson, said she may have to pay for some items that were jointly owned by the couple, including the couple's 7 ft by 8 ft bed.

Otherwise they would be auctioned because Mr Entwistle had not updated his will, she said.

Stephen Maycock, Sotheby's specialist in charge of the sale, said the auctioneers were fortunate to be offering so many pieces from the musician's personal collection.

The main sale will take place at Sotheby's in Olympia, West London, on May 13.