Whitesnake and Skinny Lizzy guitarist John Sykes dies at 65

The British rock guitarist John Sykes, who performed with Whitesnake and Skinny Lizzy, has died aged 65.

An announcement on his web site mentioned Sykes “handed away after a tough fought battle with most cancers”.

It described him as a “considerate, sort, and charismatic man whose presence lit up the room” and mentioned that, in his ultimate days, he had expressed a “honest love and gratitude for his followers”.

Sykes appeared on two Whitesnake albums and co-wrote among the band’s best-known songs, together with Nonetheless Of The Night time and Is This Love.

He started his profession in 1980 with heavy steel band Tygers Of Pan Tang, recording two albums earlier than becoming a member of Skinny Lizzy in 1982.

He performed on the 1983 launch Thunder and Lightning earlier than accompanying frontman Phil Lynott on a European tour with a separate group referred to as The Three Musketeers.

In 1984, he joined Whitesnake on the invitation of founder and frontman David Coverdale, recording elements for his or her Slide It In album and later for his or her self-titled 1987 launch which was a crucial and business success.

After leaving Whitesnake he launched two albums along with his personal group, Blue Homicide, and later fashioned a touring model of Skinny Lizzy which had disbanded within the years earlier than Lynott’s loss of life in 1986.

The assertion on Sykes’s web site learn: “It’s with nice sorrow we share that John Sykes has handed away after a tough fought battle with most cancers.

“He can be remembered by many as a person with distinctive musical expertise however for individuals who did not know him personally, he was a considerate, sort, and charismatic man whose presence lit up the room.

“He definitely marched to the beat of his personal drum and at all times pulled for the underdog. In his ultimate days, he spoke of his honest love and gratitude for his followers who caught by him by way of all these years.

“Whereas the affect of his loss is profound and the temper sombre, we hope the sunshine of his reminiscence will extinguish the shadow of his absence.”

Paying tribute on X, Coverdale shared a lot of images of himself and and Sykes collectively in Whitesnake’s heyday.

“Simply heard the surprising information of John’s passing…” he mentioned.

“My honest condolences to his household, associates & followers…”

Weapons N’ Roses guitarist Slash shared an image of Sykes performing and wrote merely: “RIP”.