John Sykes of Whitesnake Dead at 65

Guitarist John Sykesdied earlier this month after a battle with cancer. He was 65.

"It is with great sorrow we share that John Sykes has passed away after a hard-fought battle with cancer," a statement posted on Sykes' official Facebook page read on Monday, January 20. "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."

The statement continued: "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."

Sykes' team 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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Sykes was born and raised in England, kicking off his career with bands like Streetfighter and Badlands before he joined Tygers of Pan Tang in 1980. The musician recorded two albums with the group - 1981's Spellbound and Crazy Nights - before his exit in 1982.

The rocker was introduced to Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott around the same time and the pair collaborated on his "Please Don't Leave Me" single, which was released in 1982. Sykes officially joined the Irish rock band later that year as their guitarist.

Thin Lizzy's 1983 album Thunder and Lightning was his first record with the group, which was followed up by Life. Sykes later recorded 2000's live album One Night Only with the band even though Lynott died in 1986.

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The band mourned the loss of Sykes via Instagram on Tuesday, January 21, crediting the late musician with "bringing a harder edge to their sound."

"He always sounded fantastic and looked cool on stage. He stayed with the band until the end, a perfect fit with Phil, Scott [Gorham], Brian [Downey] and Darren [Wharton]," the social media post read. "Our respect and thoughts to his family and friends and a massive thank you for being a part of the Thin Lizzy story and history. Please play T&L today and play it loud."

Following his success with Thin Lizzy, Sykes continued to take the rock world by storm as the guitarist for Whitesnake. He released 1984's Slide It In and 1987's Whitesnake albums with the band before moving over to Blue Murder. He released three albums - and was a vocalist as well as guitarist - with the English group from 1989 to 1994.

The iconic guitarist also had a successful solo career prior to his passing. His first solo record, Out of My Tree, came out in 1995. Sykes released two albums in 1997 and one in 2000. His last album, Bad Boy Live!, was released in 2004.

The music community paid tribute to Sykes via social media on both Monday and Tuesday. Tony Franklin, who was part of Whitesnake and Blue Murder, honored his late friend via X, writing, "My deepest heartfelt thanks for all your kind wishes and condolences for the passing of John Sykes."

He added: "I am heartbroken and will miss him terribly. I'm thankful for the time we had together and the music we created. Rest peacefully John. Love you forever ."

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Radio personality and music talk show host Eddie Trunk shared his own message via X, calling Sykes' death "devastating shocking news."

"As most know John was not only a friend, but always one of my favorite guitarists," he continued. "Stunned by this. What a loss. Condolences to his family and friends. Crushed. RIP John Sykes."

Sykes is survived by his three sons: James, John Jr. and Sean.

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This story was originally published January 21, 2025 at 12:29 PM.