Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy Guitarist John Sykes Dies of Cancer at 65: 'Thoughtful, Kind and Charismatic'

Guitarist John Sykes, who played in classic British rock bands Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy, has died. He was 65.

Sykes’ death was announced in a statement on his official website that said he’d “passed away after a hard fought battle with cancer.”

“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,” the statement read. “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 those years.”

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The statement concluded, “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.”

The British rocker — who was born and raised in Reading after a brief stint living in Ibiza, Spain as a child — started his career in 1980 with Tygers of Pan Tang, a British heavy metal band. After two years of touring and making music with the group, he left to join Thin Lizzy, led by Phil Lynott.

“Thin Lizzy were one of my all-time favorite bands anyway, and to be asked to join them was like a dream come true,” Sykes told Metal Express Radio in 2008. “It was an honor and a privilege… To be picked by Phil is probably the highlight of my career, and it doesn’t really get much better than that.”

Sykes joined Thin Lizzy in 1982, and performed on albums like Thunder and Lightning. After the group’s farewell tour in 1983, Sykes joined Lynott on his solo tour.

Before long, his talents were noticed by Whitesnake singer David Coverdale, who invited Sykes to join his group. Once Sykes got Lynott’s blessing, he joined Whitesnake, first appearing on the U.S. release of the 1984 record Slide It In.

Together, he and Coverdale wrote nearly every song on the band’s next, self-titled album, which came out in 1987 and included hits like “Still of the Night” and “Is This Love.”

Despite the record’s success — it sold 20 million copies — his relationship with Coverdale soured during the recording, and Sykes and the rest of the group were fired.

In an interview with Rock Candy magazine in 2017, Sykes said he was still “very bitter” about how things went down with Coverdale, as he only learned of his ousting from the band’s A&R manager.

Coverdale, meanwhile, told Metal Edge magazine it was “unfortunate” that “things went squirrely” between him and Sykes, and that they’d recently spoken again for the first time after “15 years of animosity” and “got on well.”

“John was and is an incredible talent. Our musical chemistry was great, but it didn’t work personally,” he said. “John was critical to that record and a superb live player. But there were many important aspects of things that were not there. It wasn’t meant to be.”

Upon Sykes’s death, Coverdale shared a tribute message on Instagram, writing, “Just heard the shocking news of John’s passing…My sincere condolences to his family, friends & fans…🙏✨🙏✨⭐️✨🙏✨🙏.”

After leaving Whitesnake, Sykes formed the group Blue Murder with bassist Tony Franklin and drummer Carmine Appice. Blue Murder released its self-titled debut album in 1989, and Sykes later had a solo career.

Sykes married wife Jennifer in 1989, and they divorced 10 years later. He is survived by sons James, John Jr. and Sean, according to the Guardian.

Read the original article on People