British guitarist John Sykes best known for being part of the rock bands ThinLizzy and Whitesnake , died at age 65 “after a tough battle with cancer” according to a statement on its website.
“He will be remembered by many as a man with exceptional musical talent, but to those who did not know him personally, he was a thoughtful, kind and charismatic man whose presence lit up the room,” the statement said.
Messages paying tribute to Sykes were posted by people across the rock world.
In an Instagram post on Monday, David Coverdale, lead singer and founder of Whitesnake, posted several photos of himself and Sykes from the 1980s, offering his “sincere condolences to (Sykes’) family, friends and fans.”
Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash also posted a photo of Sykes on Instagram, saying: “RIP #John Sykes.”
Meanwhile, drummer Carmine Appice, who played alongside Sykes in Blue Murder, said on Facebook that “John’s playing, writing and singing was incredible… I loved him like a brother.”
Sykes began his career in 1980 with British band The Tygers of Pan Tang, before successfully auditioning to be the lead guitarist for Thin Lizzy.
The classic rock band had already reached the height of its popularity when Sykes joined in 1982, and he played on the group’s year-long farewell tour, as well as on its final two albums, “Thunder and Lightning” and “Life ”.
Sykes later joined Whitesnake, performing on their 1984 album “Slide It In” and playing to hundreds of thousands of people when the band supported Queen and Iron Maiden at the 1985 Rock in Rio festival.
Known for his songwriting as well as his guitar playing, Sykes co-wrote Whitesnake’s 1987 self-titled album, including two of the band’s biggest hits – “Still of the Night” and “Is this Love”. The album sold around 20 million copies worldwide.
This content was originally published in John Sykes, Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy guitarist, dies at 65 on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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