John Sykes

John Sykes, a beloved guitarist who performed with Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake in the 1980s, has died at age 65 from cancer.

Sykes was best known for his work co-writing Whitesnake’s seventh album, 1987, which included hit singles “Still of the Night” and “Is This Love.”

Throughout his career, he performed with Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, and the Tygers of Pan Tang, and fronted his own band Blue Murder. He released four solo LPs and a live solo album.

Born in Reading, England, in 1959 and raised partially in Spain, Sykes began playing guitar in his teens. He began his professional music career with a group called Streetfighter in the late 1970s after moving to Blackpool, England, and later left to join English heavy metal band Tygers of Pan Tang. He appeared on three of Tygers of Pan Tang’s albums and departed in 1982.

Sykes auditioned unsuccessfully for Ozzy Osbourne’s band before Tygers of Pan Tang producer Chris Tsangarides connected him with Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott. The pair collaborated on 1982 single “Please Don’t Leave Me.” Sykes officially joined Thin Lizzy that same year. He performed on the group’s 1983 LP Thunder and Lightning, for which he co-wrote the single “Cold Sweat,” and on their live album Life.

Thin Lizzy officially disbanded in 1983 after touring on Thunder and Lightning, leading to Sykes joining Whitesnake in early 1984. He recorded guitar parts on the band’s 1984 album Slide It In.

His most recent solo effort, live album Bad Boy Live!, arrived in 2004, however Sykes released several one-off singles in the year since, including 2021’s “Dawning of a Brand New Day.”

In the meantime, Sykes, Brian Downey, Scott Gorham, and Darren Wharton formed a new version of Thin Lizzy after Lynott’s death in 1986. Sykes continued to perform with this edition of Thin Lizzy until 2009.