Rock ’n’ roll tributes flood in for Irish rock band Thin Lizzy’s legendary guitarist John Sykes

Rock ’n’ roll tributes have flooded in for Irish rock band Thin Lizzy’s legendary guitarist John Sykes after he died from cancer.

John, who was 65 and died yesterday, famously described the group’s iconic frontman Phil Lynott, from Dublin, as his “hero”.

A spokesperson for John’s family said today: “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. For those who didn’t know him personally, he was a thoughtful, kind, and charismatic man whose presence lit up the room."

He added: “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 flooded from the likes of Whitesnake singer David Coverdale. He posted on Instagram: “Just heard the shocking news of John’s passing. My sincere condolences to his family, friends and fans.” Ex-Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman also praised the “wonderful” musician.

John, from England, was in Lizzy from 1982 until they split in 1984, but revealed in an interview that Lizzy had not intended to break up. He said: “Phil was my hero. I used to play Lizzy songs in cover bands when I was a kid.”

He added: "Some buffoon at our management company said we were splitting up, which was absolute rubbish. They only said that to sell more tickets. But Phil couldn't go out there, look people in the eye every night and then not split up. " The band did then disband after headlining the 1984 Reading festival – but the plan was to wait a while and get back together. However, Phil died of heart failure from heroin use, aged just 36, on January 4, 1986.

John said: “It was the ’80s, we were in a rock band, you know; we were up to all sorts of stuff.” He joined Lizzy in time for their final studio album, Thunder and Lightning, in 1983 before joining Whitesnake. He co-wrote and played on the group’s 1987 self-titled opus Whitesnake, which sold 17 million copies. He left Whitesnake that same year and immediately formed Blue Murder before launching a solo career in 1994. He reunited with remaining members of Thin Lizzy in 1996 and fronted the group until 2009.

John said in a previous interview: "I still get a kick standing on stage and playing the solo in Still In Love With You." He added: "I'd like to think Phil would be looking down and he'd be enjoying what we're doing. We play the Lizzy songs as they should sound."

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