Just one day after Who bassist John Entwistle passed away on the eve of the band's U.S. tour, his bandmates Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey have vowed to continue on with the trek.

Although the tour's scheduled kickoff Friday (June 28) in Las Vegas has been postponed, as has Saturday's show in Irvine, California, the group will begin the three-month tour Monday in Los Angeles, according to the Who's manager. The postponed shows are expected to be rescheduled.

"The Ox has left the building — we've lost another great friend. Thanks for your support and love," Townshend and Daltrey collectively said in a statement.

Townshend and Daltrey consider the tour a tribute to John Entwistle and have the full support of the Entwistle family, which views the band's decision as what John would have wanted.

"He lived for music and will always live within the Who's music," Entwistle's son, Christopher, said in a statement. "This is what he would have wished, and our love goes out to the remaining bandmembers and the entourage that makes up the Who family."

Entwistle died in his sleep Thursday morning in his Las Vegas hotel room (see ). Session bassist Pino Palladino will fill in for Entwistle on tour, according to a spokesperson for the Who's label, MCA Records.

The decision to play on comes as much of the music community is still coming to terms with the loss of one of rock's most influential and talented players (to see what fans have to say about Entwistle's passing and share your thoughts, visit You Tell Us).

Entwistle's style — lines containing peaks and valleys that coalesced into a solid rhythm — was innovative during a time when bassists were traditionally known more for their staid dependability than their musical proficiency. But once Entwistle made his presence felt on early Who songs like "Legal Matter," "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and "The Ox," the role of those strapped with the four-string was never the same.

"John Entwistle was a massive force in the bass-playing world just because, for one thing, he was one of the first guys to really bring the bass to the forefront of the mix," said former Primus/current Frog Brigade frontman and bassist extraordinaire Les Claypool. "As well as his tone and the way he approached his instrument was pretty unique for its time. There are a lot of bass players out there who are influenced by Entwistle, whether they know it or not."

The slap-happy Claypool's sentiment was echoed by Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim Commerford: "Music lovers everywhere will miss John Entwistle," he said in a statement, "whether they know it or not. Another unsung hero that influenced me dies without the respect he deserves."

Even former P-Funk bassist Bootsy Collins, whose on-the-one style doesn't overtly draw from Entwistle's rolling rock rhythms, acknowledges his tremendous contribution to the rock pantheon.

"Anytime you lose a person it reflects on the initial family, but when you lose a legendary part of history it seems to affect all of us," he wrote in a statement. "Thank God his part in history was well established. From one bassist to another, thank you for some really great music and fun! We miss you already."

Entwistle's unique style also demonstrated musical maneuvers never before thought possible, and he pulled them off without so much as a grimace to indicate even a strain of difficulty.

"I got the Who's Live at Leeds when I was 16, and it made me want to be a bass player," Rancid's Matt Freeman said. "He showed me that you could make the bass into a lead instrument, playing thirds and fifths and all kinds of harmonies, and not just simple rock basslines that would normally just follow the root chords. Plus his sound was always aggressive and sometimes extremely distorted. John Entwistle's bass playing will always speak to me."

Like George Harrison, who died in November (see "Former Beatle George Harrison Dead At 58"), Entwistle was the most reserved member of his animated, charismatic group, with a heart the size of his far-reaching rhythmic range.

"[He was a] great friend for many years," former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman expressed in a statement. "The quietest man in private, but the loudest onstage! He was unique and irreplaceable. I am shocked and devastated."

"He was a giant in the field," said Gov't Mule guitarist Warren Haynes, who performed with Entwistle on his band's The Deep End, Vol. 1, a forum for guest bassists to fill in for the late Allen Woody (see ). "He influenced every bass player to come after him. ... He was a wonderful, warm, funny human being."

"John was an innovative player and a fine musician," said former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. "A backbone of the English rock scene, we shall miss him."

Perhaps no song in the Who's arsenal had such a profound impact on listeners as the anthem "My Generation," and more specifically, Entwistle's tumbling solo that led to a cymbal-crashing maelstrom.

"When I was in high school," wrote former Metallica/current Echobrain bassist Jason Newsted, "I heard 'My Generation' for the first time. It opened my eyes and showed me a different approach to the bass guitar."

"He revolutionized bass playing with his bass solo in 'My Generation,' " wrote Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler, "and he brought the bass technique and bass players to the forefront in rock music."

Another deft rhythm king who couldn't help being affected by Entwistle, former Minutemen and Firehose bassist Mike Watt, expressed his admiration for the "My Generation" solo with a poem:

Dearly will miss your thunderfingers
Rest easy, Ox
Always part of you
In the bassist part of me

On that "Ed Sullivan Show"
When you did "My Generation" right
With that bass solo
The cameraman focused on Townshend
Stupid f---
(The cameraman, not Pete)

Wow how he wowed me
Much taught me much
Don't be afraid, Watt
Charge hard
Let your bass sing
Your young man blues