BRITISH rock icon John Sykes has died at the age of 65.
The guitarist of Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake has died after a battle with cancer.
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John Sykes performing on stage during the 1980s Credit: Getty
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Sykes has played in bands including Thin Lizzy and WhitesnakeCredit: Getty
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Sykes during 106.7 Lite FM’s ‘One Night With Lite’ in 2004 Credit: Getty
A statement on his social media channels on Monday read: “It is with great sadness that we announce that John Sykes has passed away after a difficult battle with cancer.
“Many will remember him as a man of exceptional musical talent, but to those who did not know him personally, he was a thoughtful, kind and charismatic man whose presence lit up a room.
“He certainly marched to the beat of his own drum and always pulled for the underdog.
“In his last days, he spoke of his sincere love and gratitude to his fans who have been by his side all these years.
“While the impact of his loss is profound and the mood somber, we hope that the light of his memory will extinguish the shadow of his absence.”
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Sykes was born in Reading, Berkshire, before his family moved to Ibiza, Spain, for three years and then returned to the UK.
He became interested in the guitar at the age of 14 after his father introduced him to Eric Clapton’s songs.
Moving to Blackpool, he joined the band Streetfighter.
Sykes left to record two albums with Tygers of Pan Tang – titled Spellbound and Crazy Nights – in 1981, before co-founding the hard rock supergroup Blue Murder with Tony Franklin and Carmine Appice.
He featured on Thin Lizzy’s 1983 top five album Thunder and Lightning – the last to feature frontman Phil Lynott, who died aged 36 in 1986.
Sykes also joined Lynott on a European tour with a band called The Three Musketeers.
He then joined Whitesnake and appeared on two albums, starting with 1984’s Slide It In.
Sykes co-wrote and performed on Whitesnake’s self-titled album, an eight-time platinum international top 10 hit in 1987, with hits including Still Of The Night and Is This Love.
However, his relationship with lead singer David Coverdale was always rocky – despite the frontman pursuing Sykes.
“John was and is an incredible talent,” Coverdale later said.
“Our musical chemistry was great, but personally it didn’t work. The truth is, no matter how amazing the album we made together was, we weren’t able to connect as people.”
Sykes took over as lead vocalist for Thin Lizzy when the band reunited in 1996, releasing One Night Only in 2000.
And he remained in the machine until 2009.
Speaking of the late Lynott, Sykes told Melodic Rock in 1999: “He wrote bloody good songs.
“It’s a great pleasure to go out and play and think about him. Like a group of old veterans, let’s tell a few lies and have a few laughs, go play and it’s great.”
Sykes has released five solo albums, including Bad Boy Live! in 2004.
He married Jennifer Brooks-Sykes in 1989 and they had three sons before divorcing in 1999.
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Sykes and Thin Lizzy members Brian Downey, Darren Wharton, Phil Lynott and Scott GorhamCredit: Getty
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Sykes died after a battle with cancer Credit: Instagram / @johnsykesofficial
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Source: HIS Education