John Sykes, the guitarist who changed Whitesnake, dies

The talented 65-year-old musician who was also part of Thin Lizzy, Tygers of Pan Tang and other projects was battling cancer

John Sykes is dead. The last guitarist to join it ThinLizzy in its composition with Phil Lynotalso famous for helping to put the White snake on another level, in the mid 80s, his death was announced this Monday (20th).

He, who was 65 years old, was battling cancer in an unspecified part of his body. The information wasn’t even known to fans, especially since Sykes has been away from public life for the past few decades.

A statement published in Instagram (go Igor Miranda’s website), states:

“It is with great sadness that we share the news that John Sykes has passed away after a tough battle with cancer. He will be remembered by many as a man of exceptional musical talent, but for those who did not know him personally, he was a caring, man kind and charismatic whose presence lit up the environment.

He certainly marched to his own beat. In his final days, he spoke of his sincere love and gratitude for his fans who stood by him all these years.

While the impact of his loss is profound and the atmosphere somber, we hope that the light of his memory can extinguish the shadow of his absence.”

A little about John Sykes

Born on July 29, 1959 in Reading, England, John Sykes emerged Pan Tang Tigersa band that would soon join the so-called NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal). He participated in the first two albums and was collaborating on the third when he joined ThinLizzy.

Sykes was at his side Scott Gorhamthe guitarist of the final line-up of the legendary group led by the vocalist and the bassist Phil Lynotat a time far removed from its peak. He only participated in the album Thunder and lightningreleased in 1983, the year the band broke up. A reunion will take place between 1996 and 2009 without Lynott, who died in 1986, in the following years – and with John on vocals.

With the end of Thin Lizzy in its “mainstream” form, Sykes was free on the market. And then he was called by David Coverdale to join Whitesnake, who were in serious financial difficulty at the time. The group was quite successful, but failed to explode and previous investments began to take their toll.

Sykes was instrumental in this new period, in which Whitesnake went from a blues rock-influenced sound to delving into the hard rock popular in the 1980s. His strong and precise guitar playing style set the tone for the albums. Enter it (1984, in the American mix) e White snake (1987), the latter also known simply as 1987.

The two albums recorded by John in the Coverdale group are his most successful. Slide It In sold 6 million copies worldwide, while in 1987 it surpassed the 25 million mark. It strikes as “It’s this love”, “Love is no stranger” AND “Anchor of the Night” was born from the collaboration between singer and guitarist, which broke up for a reason as silly as it was classic in rock.

While recording in 1987, David Coverdale contracted a serious sinus infection and had to stop recording. When he returned, he discovered that John Sykes was running the sessions – and generating expenses – without his authorization. The guitarist, in turn, accused the singer of stalling as much as possible to do his job. They argued and never reconciled again. Sykes participated in the tour of Enter it – which featured two historical shows Rock in Rio 1985 — but it was replaced even before the release of 1987.

Owner of a strong personality, John founded his own band, i Blue murderwho released two albums between 1989 and 1993, but did not repeat the success achieved in previous years. In the following years, the guitarist was involved in a new incarnation of ThinLizzyalso taking care of the vocals and recording the album live Just one night (2000). He also embarked on a solo career, which led to four studio releases between 1995 and 2000.

In the 21st century little is known about Sykes. He also planned a solo album titled Sy-Opswhich had two tracks available: “The Dawn of a Brand New Day” AND “Out Alive”both in 2021, but supposedly recorded in the mid-2010s. And that was it: the album was never released.

The musician also auditioned to join the Guns N’ Roses in 2009, with the aim of replacing Robin Finck — and also failing with an incredible performance due to his complicated personality —, and was part of the supergroup’s first lineup The cellar dogswho with him barely left the draft: the British soon disappeared again and gave in Richie Kotzenthat flows from there. The world wanted more from John Sykes, but for some reason he didn’t want to give it. May you now rest in peace.

+++ READ MORE: Steve Vai confesses he was a ‘diva’ during Whitesnake

+++ Follow journalist Igor Miranda @igormirandasite on Instagram

Source: Terra

Earl

Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.