John Sykes dies aged 65 as tributes flood in for Thin Lizzy guitarist

John Sykes has sadly died at the age of 65 after a battle with cancer.

The Thin Lizzy guitarist – who also performed with Whitesnake – has passed away at the age of 65 following a battle with cancer. His family revealed in a heartbreaking statement that he died after “a hard fought battle with cancer”.

A statement from the family reads: “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. While the impact of his loss is profound and the mood sombre, we hope the light of his memory will extinguish the shadow of his absence. “

Tributes have flooded in from fans all over the world, who paid tribute to John’s art and talent.

“RIP John. I wish I could hear the music you’re making with Gary Moore up there now,” one wrote, as another added: “Oh no. I had no idea he was ill. He was awesome. Thank you for sharing your art and talent with us. “

A third shared: “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…. ,” with a fourth adding: “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 with Thin Lizzy. “

John rose to fame as part of British heavy metal band Tygers of Pan Tang. In the 1980s, he contributed to albums including the likes of Spellbound and Crazy Nights. He later moved on with Thin Lizzy, playing on their 1983 album Thunder and Lightning.

He also joined Whitesnake and contributed to two of their albums. He also participated in Thin Lizzy’s farewell tour, and was good friends with Phil Lynott until his death in 1986.

Elsewhere, John had a difficult personal relationship with lead singer David Coverdale. Speaking about their musical chemistry, David 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. “

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Source: Mirror