MusicJohn Sykes, the guitarist who changed Whitesnake, diesTalented 65-year-old musician who was also part of Thin Lizzy, Tygers of Pan Tang and other projects was battling cancerBy Editorial Staff

John Sykes he died. The last guitarist to be part of ThinLizzy in its composition with Phil Lynottalso famous for having helped put the Whitesnake on another level in the mid-1980s, his death was announced this Monday (20).

He, who was 65 years old, was fighting cancer in an unspecified part of his body. The information was not even known to fans, especially since Sykes has been away from public life in recent decades.

A statement published in Instagram (via Igor Miranda website), states:

“It is with great sadness that we share that John Sykes has passed away after a tough battle with cancer. He will be remembered by many as a man with exceptional musical talent, but to 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 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 mood somber, we hope the light of his memory extinguishes the shadow of his absence.”

A little about John Sykes

Born on July 29, 1959, in Reading, England, John Sykes emerged in Tygers of Pan Tanga 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 with the third when he joined the ThinLizzy.

Sykes was, alongside Scott Gorhamthe guitarist of the final formation of the legendary group led by the vocalist and bassist Phil Lynottat a time very far from its peak. Only participated in the album Thunder and Lightningreleased in 1983, the year in which the band came to an end. A reunion would 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 “conventional” form, Sykes was free on the market. And then he was called by David Coverdale to join Whitesnake, at the time experiencing serious financial difficulties. The group was relatively successful, but it didn’t break out — and previous investments began to take their toll.

Sykes was fundamental to this new period, in which Whitesnake moved from a sound influenced by blues rock to delving into the hard rock in vogue in the 1980s. His strong and precise style of guitar playing set the tone of the albums. Slide It In (1984, in the American mix) and Whitesnake (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 1987 surpassed the 25 million mark. Hits like “Is This Love”, “Love Ain’t No Stranger” and “Still of the Night” emerged from the partnership between singer and guitarist — who broke up for a reason as silly as it is classic in rock.

During 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 vocalist of stalling as much as he could to do his job. They fought and never reconciled again. Sykes participated in the tour of Slide It In — which featured two historic shows at Rock in Rio 1985 — but was replaced even before the release of 1987.

Owner of a strong personality, John set up his own band, the Blue Murderwhich had two albums released between 1989 and 1993, but did not repeat the success achieved in previous years. In the following years, the guitarist became involved with a new incarnation of ThinLizzyalso taking on the vocals and recording the album live One Night Only (2000). He also worked on a solo career, which resulted in four studio works between 1995 and 2000.

In the 21st century, little has been heard about Sykes. He even planned a solo album called Sy-Opswhich had two tracks available: “Dawning of a Brand New Day” and “Out Alive”both in 2021, but supposedly recorded in the mid-2010s. And it stopped there: the album never went public.

The musician even auditioned to enter the Guns N’ Roses in 2009, aiming to replace Robin Finck — and failing even with an incredible performance due to his complicated personality —, and was part of the first formation of the supergroup The Winery Dogswhich with him barely left the draft: the British soon disappeared again and gave way to Richie Kotzenflowing from there. The world wanted more from John Sykes, but for some reason he didn’t want to deliver. May you now rest in peace.