Goodbye to John Sykes, guitarist of Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy

He died of cancer at the age of 65. John SykesBritish guitarist who played in bands such as Whitesnake And Thin Lizzy.

His death was announced on his Facebook page.

“It is with great sadness that we announce that John Sykes has passed away after a tough battle with cancer. He will be remembered by many as a man of exceptional musical talent, but for those who did not know him personally, he was a thoughtful, kind and charismatic man whose presence illuminated. He certainly marched to the beat of his own drum and always supported the underdogs. In his final days, he spoke of his sincere love and gratitude for the fans who stood by him all these years. impact of his loss is deep and the mood is dark, we hope that the light of his memory extinguishes the shadow of his absence”.

John Sykes
he was best known for his time with
Whitesnake
And
Thin Lizzy
but it should not be forgotten that he was also part of the
Tygers of Pan Tang
with whom he began playing. Having left that group he entered the
Thin Lizzy
in 1982 and remained there until 1984 when they disbanded. In that year he joined the
Whitesnake
until 1987, when the frontman
David Coverdale
he fired the entire band. After his dismissal, Sykes formed i
Blue Murder
with the bass player
Tony Franklin
and the drummer
Carmine
Appice
before embarking on a solo career in 1994. Two years later, they reformed i
Thin Lizzy
he returned and was its frontman until 2009.

In 2011, Sykes revealed that he was forming a new band with the then former drummer of
Dream Theater Mike Portnoy
. However, the project did not materialize and he was replaced by

Richie Kotzen
in the band he later included
Billy Sheehan
and what was his name
Winery Dogs
. In 2021 he published
“Dawning of a Brand New Day”
And
“Out Alive”
these two songs were his last releases.

Among those who also remembered him
David Coverdale
the frontman of
Whitesnake
who wrote on the band’s Instagram channel: “I just got the shocking news of John’s passing… My sincere condolences to his family, friends and fans…”