Rockers Pay Tribute To Legendary THIN LIZZY And WHITESNAKE Guitarist JOHN SYKES

David Coverdale (WHITESNAKE),Slash (GUNS N’ ROSES),Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER),Doug Aldrich (WHITESNAKE, DIO),Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE) and Carmine Appice (BLUE MURDER, VANILLA FUDGE) are among the musicians who have reacted on social media to the passing of legendary English guitarist John Sykes (TYGERS OF PAN TANG, THIN LIZZY, WHITESNAKE, BLUE MURDER, SYKES). You can read their tributes below.Sykes, who performed with THIN LIZZY and WHITESNAKE in the 1980s, died following a battle with cancer, a statement posted on his verified Facebook page said on Monday (January 20). He was 65 years old.”It is with great sorrow we share that John Sykes has passed away after a hard fought battle with cancer,” the statement read. “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 somber, we hope the light of his memory will extinguish the shadow of his absence.”Back in July 2021, Sykes released the official Parker Thibault-produced music video for a new song called “Out Alive”. The track, which was recorded at least four years ago, was expected to appear on Sykes’s long-awaited new solo album, “Sy-Ops”.”Out Alive” was the second song from “Sy-Ops” to be released in 2021. Back in January 2021, Sykes dropped a video for “Dawning Of A Brand New Day”, also produced by Thibault, with additional footage courtesy of Natasha Gregory and James Sykes.In 2020, Sykes parted ways with Golden Robot Records without releasing a single record through the label.Sykes’s partnership with the Australian company was first announced in January 2019. At the time, John promised that his first album in two decades would arrive before the end of 2019. However, things apparently went south shortly after the signing, with Sykes later accusing the label of making “little attempt to move things forward despite our best efforts and patience.””Sy-Ops” was expected to include such other tracks as “Believe In Yourself” and “My Guitar”.Speaking to Reality Check TV at the January 2019 Hall Of Heavy Metal History event in Anaheim, California, Sykes stated about his absence from the rock scene: “I’m looking forward to getting out on the road and playing again. I kind of go underground and stay there for a while. I don’t know, man. Sometimes I just take off and shut it all down. But I’m getting the itch, I’ve been having the itch to get back out and play, so I’m looking forward to that.”Asked about the musical direction of his new record, Sykes said: “It’s kind of got flavors of old and new. But I think it’ll be pleasing to a lot of people to hear it. I think it’ll touch a fair few people if they check it out. It’s a good, solid album — it’s not just a couple of tracks and a load of fillers.”Sykes’s band for his tour was expected to include his onetime BLUE MURDER bandmate Tony Franklin (bass) and Fred Boswell Jr. (drums).John’s best-known work was when he joined WHITESNAKE and co-wrote the band’s self-titled seventh studio album, released in 1987. It produced a major power ballad hit, “Is This Love”, along with the No. 1 hit “Here I Go Again”. The album was a major crossover hit, eventually selling over eight million copies in the U.S. alone.Sykes announced his departure from THIN LIZZY in July 2009, explaining that “I feel it’s time to get back to playing my own music.”Back in 2012, Sykes pulled out of a planned collaboration with DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy and MR. BIG bassist Billy Sheehan. In 2011, the project demoed more than a dozen songs at a Los Angeles studio, with Portnoy describing one track as “copping the [LED] ZEPPELIN/[BLACK] SABBATH vibe” and another as “[PINK] FLOYD meets [DEEP] PURPLE!!! Some serious old-school classic rock.”Two years ago, Sykes’s former BLUE MURDER bandmate Carmine Appice told SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” that he had no contact with Sykes despite repeated attempts to reach out to the guitarist. “I think he’s done [playing music],” the drummer said at the time. “I send him texts; I don’t hear nothing back. I don’t know. Maybe he’s pissed off at me for some reason. But I talk with [BLUE MURDER bassist] Tony [Franklin]; he hasn’t heard from him either.”BLUE MURDER was formed by Sykes and released two studio albums — 1989’s self-titled effort and the 1993 follow-up, “Nothin’ But Trouble” — before calling it quits.Sykes co-wrote nine of the tracks on WHITESNAKE’s classic 1987 album “Whitesnake”, including mega-hits “Still Of The Night” and “Is This Love?”Sykes found himself thrown out of WHITESNAKE, alongside bassist Neil Murray and drummer Aynsley Dunbar, even before the album had been released. WHITESNAKE singer and leader David Coverdale then assembled an entirely different, MTV-friendly group to tour the record.Back in 2017, Sykes admitted that he was still “very bitter” about how Coverdale treated him. “David said nothing to any of us about having decided to kick us out of the band,” the guitarist told Rock Candy magazine, claiming he only found out he was no longer a member of WHITESNAKE when he asked the band’s A&R man John Kalodner what was going on.”I was furious and wasn’t about to accept this,” said Sykes. “So I went down to the studio where David was still recording his vocals, prepared to confront him. Honest to God, he ran away, got in his car and hid from me!”Sykes claimed Coverdale blamed record company Geffen for forcing him to change band members. “I knew he was fucking lying,” said Sykes. And he insists Coverdale’s claims to have written 95 percent of the album’s guitar parts are also false. “When I knew him, David could barely play the guitar,” Sykes said.Sykes also ruled out the possibility of collaborating with Coverdale in the future, saying: “I know David has been saying recently that he and I have been talking about working together on a project outside of WHITESNAKE. That’s completely false. I really have no interest in ever talking to him again.”Just heard the shocking news of John’s passing…My sincere condolences to his family, friends & fans…🙏✨🙏✨⭐️✨🙏✨🙏Posted by Whitesnake/David Coverdale on Monday, January 20, 2025I’m am saddened about the news of my band mate John Sykes . I’m shocked about his passing 🥲 . We played such great music…Posted by Carmine Appice on Monday, January 20, 2025Absolutely shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of the great John Sykes. As many of you might know, John & I…Posted by Mike Portnoy on Monday, January 20, 2025Damn..John Sykes passed away.. a fantastic, very talented and influential player as we all know.. Like many rock lovers…Posted by Adrian Vandenberg on Monday, January 20, 2025RIP John Sykes 💔🕊️My condolences to his family and friendsWhitesnake/David Coverdale #johnsykes#ripjohnsykes #whitesnake #whitesnakebandPosted by Jerry Dixon on Monday, January 20, 2025So sad to hear about the passing of John Sykes. One of my favorite records is SLIDE IT IN. Coverdale’s voice is in top…Posted by Matt Starr on Monday, January 20, 2025Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of one of my major influences on guitar…John Sykes 💔😥. Thank you for all the music and inspiration. Rest in power. 🙏#johnsykesPosted by Courtney Cox on Monday, January 20, 2025This man was a brilliant guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist. Checkout his work beyond the legendary Whitesnake album. Thin Lizzy, Blue Murder. RIP #johnsykes 🙏Posted by Patrick Kennison on Monday, January 20, 2025R.I.P. John Sykes. A huge talent and huge influence.#JohnSykesPosted by Winger on Monday, January 20, 2025RIP #johnsykesPosted by Steven Adler on Monday, January 20, 2025Really sad to hear this news…#johnsykes 🙏🏻Posted by Rikki Rockett on Monday, January 20, 2025Sad to hear that John Sykes has passed. One of the greatest guitarists of the genre, (and one of my favorites) R.I.P…Posted by Jason Hook – Official on Monday, January 20, 2025Heaven’s Missing An AngelThere are no words to describe how I feel about John’s guitar playing. He was absolutely a phenomenon.Here’s a song that we wrote together called “Heaven’s Missing An Angel”. What an amazing solo on this song & Honored to have John join me on vocals.RIP Dear one. The angel is now in heaven,Love you 🙏 🩵Posted by Glenn Hughes on Monday, January 20, 2025