John Sykes, Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy guitarist, dies aged 65

British guitarist John Sykes, best known for his work with rock bands Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake, has died aged 65 “after a hard fought-battle with cancer,” according to a statement on his website.

“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 said.

Messages paying tribute to Sykes poured in from across the rock world.

In an Instagram post on Monday, David Coverdale, lead singer and founder of Whitesnake, posted several photos of himself and Sykes in the 1980s, offering his “sincere condolences to (Sykes’) family, friends & fans.”

Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash also posted a photo of Sykes on Instagram, saying, “RIP #John Sykes”.

Meanwhile, drummer Carmine Appice, who played alongside Sykes in Blue Murder, said on Facebook that, “John’s playing, writing and singing were amazing … I loved him like a brother.”

Sykes began his career in 1980 with British band The Tygers of Pan Tang, before successfully auditioning to be the lead guitarist in Thin Lizzy.

The classic rock band had already reached the peak of its popularity by the time Sykes joined in 1982, and he played on the group’s year-long farewell tour as well as their final two albums Thunder and Lightning and Life.

Afterwards, Sykes joined Whitesnake, performing on their 1984 album Slide It In and playing in front of hundreds of thousands of people as the band supported Queen and Iron Maiden at the 1985 Rock in Rio festival.

Known for his songwriting as well as his guitar playing, Sykes co-wrote Whitesnake’s eponymous 1987 album, including two of the band’s biggest hits — Still of the Night and Is this Love. The album sold about 20 million copies worldwide.

But his relationship with Coverdale broke down during recording and Coverdale eventually fired the whole band before they began touring the album, leaving Sykes “furious” and “very bitter,” as he told Rock Candy magazine in 2017.

He formed the hard rock supergroup Blue Murder after that alongside Tony Franklin and Appice, but their work achieved limited commercial success.

As his health ailed, Sykes “spoke of his sincere love and gratitude for his fans who stuck by him through all these years,” the statement on his website said.

“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,” it added.