John Sykes, Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake guitarist, dies aged 65
Tributes have been flooding in for the legendary guitarist.
Guitarist John Sykes, who played with rock bands Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake, has died at the age of 65.
A statement posted on his website announced that Sykes had died after a "hard-fought battle with cancer".
It continued: "He will be remembered by many as a man with exceptional musical talent but for those who didn’t know him personally, he was a thoughtful, kind and charismatic man whose presence lit up the room.
"He certainly marched to the beat of his own drum and always pulled for the underdog.
"In his final days, he spoke of his sincere love and gratitude for his fans who stuck by him through all these years.
"While the impact of his loss is profound and the mood somber, we hope the light of his memory will extinguish the shadow of his absence."
Sykes began his career in 1980 as part of heavy metal band Tygers of Pan Tang, recording two albums before leaving to become lead guitarist with Irish rock band Thin Lizzy.
He performed on the group’s 1983 album Thunder and Lightning before joining frontman Phil Lynott on his tour of Europe with a band dubbed The Three Musketeers.
In 1984, Sykes joined the British band Whitesnake after being headhunted by British singer David Coverdale, appearing on the Slide It In album in 1984 as well as co-writing a self-titled album three years later.
After leaving Whitesnake, Sykes went on to form his own band Blue Murder, featuring Tony Franklin and Carmine Appice, with whom he made two albums and a live record before subsequently going on to pursue a solo career.
In 2004, Sykes was featured on Guitar World’s list of 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time.
Tributes have been flooding in on social media for Sykes following the tragic news of his passing, with radio personality Eddie Trunk writing on X (formerly known as Twitter): "Devastating shocking news! As most know John was not only a friend, but always one of my favorite guitarists.
"Stunned by this. What a loss. Condolences to his family and friends. Crushed. RIP John Sykes."
Meanwhile, Coverdale wrote alongside a number of photos of himself and Sykes together: "Just heard the shocking news of John’s passing… My sincere condolences to his family, friends & fans…"
Sykes is survived by his three sons: James, John Jr and Sean.
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Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
