Alert – John Sykes dead at the age of 65: Ex-Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake guitarist dies after a ‘hard-fought’ battle with cancer

Ex-Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake guitarist John Sykes has died at the age of 65.

The iconic rockstar passed away after a battle with cancer, with news of his passing shared in a statement on his social media channels.

The statement said: ‘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.

‘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.

Ex-Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake guitarist John Sykes has died at the age of 65 (pictured in 2007)

The iconic rockstar (pictured centre with Whitesnake’s Neil Murray, David Coverdale and Cozy Powell) passed away after a battle with cancer

‘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.’

Following the news of John’s passing, many fans shared their own tributes to the musician.

Posts on Facebook included: ‘RIP John. I wish I could hear the music you’re making with Gary Moore up there now;

‘Oh no. I had no idea he was ill. He was awesome. Thank you for sharing your art and talent with us. RIP I love Blue Murder;

‘Never knew he had cancer… He will always be one of the musicians whose music stayed with me. Blue Murder… life changing. RIP Sir… than you for all you gave….;

‘John was an unbelievable player. His tone was so unique to himself. I always wish that blue murder had kept going. Amazing singer and guitarist. I remember seeing him live withThin Lizzy. The dude was unreal;’

Radio personality Eddie Trunk also wrote on X: ‘Devastating shocking news! As most know John was not only a friend, but always one of my favorite guitarists. 

‘Stunned by this. What a loss. Condolences to his family and friends. Crushed. RIP John Sykes.’

News of John’s passing was shared in a statement posted on his social media channels

John’s professional career began when he joined the British heavy metal band Tygers of Pan Tang in 1980, and three years later he joined Thin Lizzy

John’s professional career began when he joined the British heavy metal band Tygers of Pan Tang in 1980, and contributed to their albums Spellbound (1981) and Crazy Nights (1981). 

Despite his success with Tygers of Pan Tang, Sykes left the band in 1982 to explore broader musical opportunities, and the following year he joined Thin Lizzy.

John appeared on Thin Lizzy’s 1983 Top five album Thunder and Lightning before joining Whitesnake and contributing to two albums, beginning with 1984’s Slide It In.

Sykes participated in Thin Lizzy’s farewell tour, which concluded in 1983, and he remained close friends with frontman Phil Lynott until his death in 1986.

Joining Whitesnake in 1987, he went onto co-write much of their eight-times platinum album of the same name, but he endured a difficult relationship with lead singer David Coverdale.

Speaking about their time together, David later said: ‘John was and is an incredible talent.

‘Our musical chemistry was great, but it didn’t work personally. The truth of the matter is no matter how incredible of an album that we made together, we were unable to connect as people.’

John took over as the lead vocalist for Thin Lizzy when the band reunited in 1996, and he remained a part of the line-up until 2009.

He was also known for his fast alternate-picking style, and was named in Guitar World’s list of 100 greatest heavy metal guitarists in 2004.