Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake guitarist John Sykes dead at 65 following cancer battle
21 January 2025, 08:20 | Updated: 21 January 2025, 09:45
Former Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake guitarist John Sykes has died at the age of 65 after being diagnosed with cancer.
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The legendary British rock musician passed away following a "hard-fought battle with cancer," his representative said on Tuesday.
The Reading-born musician began his career in 1980 with heavy metal band the Tygers Of Pan Tang, undertaking two years of touring before Sykes joined Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, where he became lead guitarist.
Skyes went on to headline some of the world's most iconic venues alongside his bandmates, entertaining audiences with tracks including global hit 'The Boys Are Back In Town'.
He also became widely synonymous with the 1987 re-recording of Whitesnake power ballad “Here I Go Again.”
"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," read a statement on his website.
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"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."
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.
Sykes' married Jennifer Brooks-Sykes in 1989 - a relationship that came to an end in 1999.
The couple have three sons together: James, John Jr and Sean.
In the 1990s and 2000s, Sykes hopped between a solo career and a reformed Thin Lizzy line-up which he fronted until 2009 with Scott Gorham.
He released his first solo album 'Out of My Tree' in 1995, with his final solo album, 'Bad Boy Live!', released in 2004.
