John Sykes, the prominent hard rock guitarist who played in bands like Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake, has died. He was 65.
The news was confirmed in a statement posted to the musician's Facebook page, which revealed that he died of 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 reads.
"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," it continues. "While the impact of his loss is profound and the mood sombre, we hope the light of his memory will extinguish the shadow of his absence."
Sykes was renowned for having co-written Whitesnake's seventh album, 1987, which included the hit singles "Is This Love" and "Still of the Night." However, he was let go from the band under rancorous circumstances.
As aforementioned, he performed with Thin Lizzy starting in 1982. The band broke up in 1983, but the guitarist and other former members Brian Downey, Scott Gorham and Darren Wharton later reformed a new touring version of the group in memory of Phil Lynott, who died in 1986. He also played in Tygers of Pan Tang, and fronted his own band called Blue Murder. As a solo artist, Sykes also released four studio LPs and a live album.