Guitarist John Sykes at aged 65: Who was he, what caused his death

John Sykes, a guitarist who played with rock bands Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake, died at the age of 65. Who is he and how caused his death? here's all you need to know:

Who is John Sykes?

John Sykes was a British musician. According to Variety, Sykes was a veteran hard-rock guitarist who was a member of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and the Tygers of Pan Tang.

Sykes began his career in 1980 with heavy metal band the Tygers Of Pan Tang. After two years of albums and tours, Sykes became lead guitarist with Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, alongside Scott Gorham.

He performed on the Thunder And Lightning album in the early 1980s, before he joined frontman Phil Lynott on his tour of Europe with a band dubbed The Three Musketeers.

Sykes was headhunted by British singer David Coverdale to join Whitesnake, appearing on the Slide It In album in 1984 as well as co-writing a self-titled album three years later with hits including Still Of The Night and Is This Love.

After leaving Whitesnake and returning to the UK, Sykes formed the supergroup Blue Murder featuring Tony Franklin and Carmine Appice.

How did John Sykes die?

A statement on Sykes official website read, “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 but for those who didn’t know him personally, he was a thoughtful, kind and charismatic man whose presence lit up the room,” a statement on his website said.

“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 somber, we hope the light of his memory will extinguish the shadow of his absence.”

(With inputs from agencies)