Legendary guitarist John Sykes, known for his influential roles in Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake, has died at the age of 65 following a battle with cancer.

An official statement confirmed the news, describing Sykes as “a man with exceptional musical talent” and “a thoughtful, kind, and charismatic man whose presence lit up the room.” The statement added, “He certainly marched to the beat of his own drum and always pulled for the underdog.”

Sykes made his mark with Thin Lizzy on their final studio album, Thunder and Lightning (1983), a harder-edged swan song featuring frontman Phil Lynott.

He later joined Whitesnake, contributing to the 1984 reworked edition of Slide It In and co-writing much of the band’s massively successful 1987 self-titled album, which sold eight million copies worldwide. The album included the international hit “Is This Love,” which reached No. 2 on the US charts and peaked at No. 12 in Australia.

Despite their musical chemistry, Sykes and Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale had a strained relationship. Reflecting on their time together, Coverdale said, “John was and is an incredible talent. Our musical chemistry was great, but it didn’t work personally. No matter how incredible of an album we made together, we were unable to connect as people.”

Upon hearing of Sykes’ passing, Coverdale shared a heartfelt tribute: “Just heard the shocking news of John’s passing… My sincere condolences to his family, friends & fans.”

Sykes returned to Thin Lizzy in 1996, stepping up as vocalist for the band’s reunion and releasing One Night Only in 2000. He remained a central figure in the lineup until 2009. Speaking of the experience, Sykes once said, “We go out and pay our respects to Phil Lynott. He wrote damn good songs. It’s a great pleasure to go out, play, and think of him.”

“In his final days, he spoke of his sincere love and gratitude for his fans who stuck by him through all these years,” the official 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.”

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