Guitarist John Sykes has sadly passed away at the age of 65 following a battle with cancer, with his family thanking fans for their support in a heartbreaking statement

Rocker John Skyes died

John Sykes, the legendary Thin Lizzy guitarist known as well for his time with Whitesnake, has passed away at 65 after a valiant fight against cancer.

His family shared a touching statement confirming his death following “a hard fought battle with cancer” The statement said: “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.

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

Fans from across the globe have been pouring in tributes, celebrating John’s incredible artistry and talent. One fan expressed their sentiment saying, “RIP John. I wish I could hear the music you’re making with Gary Moore up there now,” while another lamented, “Oh no. I had no idea he was ill. He was awesome. Thank you for sharing your art and talent with us.”

He went through a terrible battle with cancer ( Getty Images)

Fans were immediately heartbroken ( Getty Images)

A third person lamented: “Never knew he had cancer… He will always be one of the musicians whose music stayed with me. Blue Murder… life changing. RIP Sir… than you for all you gave….,” and another added, “John was an unbelievable player. His tone was so unique to himself. I always wish that blue murder had kept going. Amazing singer and guitarist. I remember seeing him live with Thin Lizzy.”

John gained fame with the British heavy metal group Tygers of Pan Tang with albums like ‘Spellbound’ and ‘Crazy Nights’. Later, he joined Thin Lizzy for their 1983 hit ‘Thunder and Lightning’ and even linked up with Whitesnake, where he made significant contributions to two albums, reports the Mirror.

His bond with Phil Lynott was strong until Lynott’s passing in 1986. On a different note, John’s personal relationship with David Coverdale was rocky.

Coverdale reflected on their time together: “John was and is an incredible talent. Our musical chemistry was great, but it didn’t work personally. The truth of the matter is no matter how incredible of an album that we made together, we were unable to connect as people.”

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