John Sykes has passed away at the age of 65.
The announcement was made on Sykes’ official Facebook page. “It is with great sorrow we share that John Sykes has 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.
It continued: “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.”
Whitesnake’s David Coverdale also shared his sadness about his former bandmate’s passing on X with a post: “Just heard the shocking news of John’s passing…My sincere condolences to his family, friends & fans…”
Coverdale mentioned earlier that Sykes would ‘come in with his intense energy’ and he would end up with a red face whenever he did a tape, ‘even if he was sitting down doing the performance.’
Sykes was known for his work with Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, and Tygers of Pan Tang. He played a key role in Whitesnake’s success, co-writing almost all the songs on their 1987 self-titled album, ‘Whitesnake.’ Songs like ‘Is This Love’ and ‘Still of the Night’ are among his most famous works and are still some of the most iconic guitar tracks of the 1980s.
Sykes left Whitesnake after the album’s release and later formed Blue Murder, staying with the band until it broke up in 1994. After that, he rejoined Thin Lizzy in 1996 and sang for the band until 2009.
