John Sykes: Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake guitarist dies aged 65

John Sykes was an axeman for Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake and passed away aged 65 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,” a statement on the Brit musician’s website said.

“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 with heavy metal band the Tygers Of Pan Tang.

After two years of albums and tours, Sykes became lead guitarist with Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, alongside Scott Gorham.

He performed on the Thunder And Lightning album in the early 1980s, before he joined frontman Phil Lynott on his tour of Europe with a band dubbed The Three Musketeers.

Sykes was headhunted by British singer David Coverdale to join Whitesnake, appearing on the Slide It In album in 1984 as well as co-writing a self-titled album three years later with hits including Still Of The Night and Is This Love.

After leaving Whitesnake and returning to the UK, Sykes formed the supergroup Blue Murder featuring Tony Franklin and Carmine Appice.