John Sykes, Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy Guitarist and Co-writer of ‘Still of the Night’ and ‘Is This Love,’ Dies at 65
variety.comJem Aswad Executive Editor, Music John Sykes, a veteran hard-rock guitarist who was a member of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and the Tygers of Pan Tang, has died, according to a post on his official Facebook page.
He had battled cancer for several years; he was 65. A fiery guitarist and strong singer with a mane of wavy blond hair, Sykes is best known for his work on Whitesnake’s eponymous 1987 seventh album, for which he cowrote nearly every track — including the hit singles “Still of the Night” and “Is This Love” — and played all of the guitars.
However, he had been fired from the band before the album’s release, due to disagreements with frontman David Coverdale, and saw two other guitarists miming his parts in the songs’ videos and touring extensively with the band during its peak years.
The post on his page reads: “It is with great sorrow we share that John Sykes has passed away after a hard fought battle with cancer.
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