John Sykes, best known for playing guitar with iconic bands Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy, has died. He was 65 years old and was reportedly battling cancer when he died on January 20, 2025. Thin Lizzy’s Instagram page confirmed the news and shared a statement about his passing.

On the subsequent tour, Sykes' place was taken by both Adrian Vandenberg and Vivian Campbell, though within just a couple of years, they too would be out of the band – the former temporarily, due to injury, and the latter permanently, due to personal differences.

A gifted guitarist who played with some of the biggest rock bands and who lived in Blackpool for many years has died, aged 65.

In his final days, he spoke of his sincere love and gratitude for his fans who stuck by him through all these years,” a statement released Monday read.

It has been a brutal year for rock music fans with an ever-growing list of musicians and influential figures who have already died. The latest to join the list was The Band’s Garth Hudson, who died on Tuesday at the age of 87. His passing pushed the number of those dead to 10.

John Sykes, a guitarist who played with Thin Lizzy before joining Whitesnake for its smash 1987 album and later forming Blue Murder, has died of cancer at 65.

Sykes was honoured by former bandmates and musicians, including members from Whitesnake, Blue Murder and Guns N’ Roses. John Sykes, the guitarist for bands like Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake, has died at 65.

(Gray News) - Guitarist and songwriter John Sykes, who played for Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy, has died. Sykes died at the age of 65 after a “hard-fought battle with cancer,” according to a statement on his website.

John Sykes, the guitarist whose talent helped propel Whitesnake to success, is dead at 65. He also worked with the bands Thin Lizzy and Blue Murder.

The English guitarist co-wrote Whitesnake's 'Is This Love,' one of the defining power ballads of late-'80s hard rock.

John Sykes, the world-renowned guitarist, best known for his work with the likes of Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, and Blue Murder, passed away at the age of 65 on January 21, 2025.

Following the death of former Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake star John Sykes on 20 January, his former bandmate and fellow guitarist Scott Gorham has hailed Sykes as "a great musician". Gorham and Sykes played together in Thin Lizzy in 1983 and again in the '90s.