Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy Guitarist John Sykes Dies of Cancer at 65: 'Thoughtful, Kind and Charismatic'

Mar. 15, 2025

English Rock musician John Sykes, of the group Whitesnake, performs onstage at the Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas, October 21, 1984.Photo:Paul Natkin/Getty

Paul Natkin/Getty

Guitarist John Sykes, who played in classic British rock bandsWhitesnakeand Thin Lizzy, has died. He was 65.

Sykes’ death was announced in astatementon his official website on Monday, Jan. 20 that said he’d “passed away after a hard fought battle with cancer.”

John Sykes (guitar) of Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, photo shoot at a hotel in Tokyo, Japan, 23rd May 1983.Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty

Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty

The statement concluded, “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.”

Sykes joined Thin Lizzy in 1982, and performed on albums likeThunder and Lightning.After the group’s farewell tour in 1983, Sykes joined Lynott on his solo tour.

John Sykes performing at Wembley Arena in London.Neil Lupin/Redferns

Neil Lupin/Redferns

Together, he and Coverdale wrote nearly every song on the band’s next, self-titled album, which came out in 1987 and included hits like “Still of the Night” and “Is This Love.”

Despite the record’s success — it sold 20 million copies — his relationship with Coverdale soured during the recording, and Sykes and the rest of the group were fired.

In an interview withRock Candymagazine in 2017, Sykes said he was still “very bitter” about how things went down with Coverdale, as he only learned of his ousting from the band’s A&R manager.

Coverdale, meanwhile, toldMetal Edgemagazine it was “unfortunate” that “things went squirrely” between him and Sykes, and that they’d recently spoken again for the first time after “15 years of animosity” and “got on well.”

“John was and is an incredible talent. Our musical chemistry was great, but it didn’t work personally,” he said. “John was critical to that record and a superb live player. But there were many important aspects of things that were not there. It wasn’t meant to be.”

Upon Sykes’s death, Coverdale shared a tribute message onInstagram, writing, “Just heard the shocking news of John’s passing…My sincere condolences to his family, friends & fans…🙏✨🙏✨⭐️✨🙏✨🙏.”

After leaving Whitesnake, Sykes formed the group Blue Murder with bassist Tony Franklin and drummer Carmine Appice. Blue Murder released its self-titled debut album in 1989, and Sykes later had a solo career.

source: people.com