Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/odonata22/909872905/in/faves-24788065@N02/
Creative Commons: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
1959 – 2025
John Sykes, former guitarist for Thin Lizzy, Blue Murder, and most famously, Whitesnake, passed away on January 20, 2025 at the age of 65, after a battle with cancer.
John Sykes, criminally, in my opinion, was not a household name like Edward Van Halen or Randy Rhoads, but if you ever rocked out to Whitesnake’s monster 1987 album, then you have heard his playing.
Unfortunately, by the time the first singles and videos were released, the entire band who played on 1987 had been sacked. Depending on whom you believe, they were either fired by David Coverdale himself, or by the record label/management.
Ultimately, it does not matter how he exited the band. At the end of the day, John never got to perform those songs live as a member of Whitesnake. But the fact remains that a huge reason for that album’s success was John’s monster skills and sound, along with the fantastic writing synergy he had with singer David Coverdale.
John then went on to front his own band, Blue Murder. They released two albums, which unfortunately did not get the recognition they deserved. He then spent several years fronting a reactivated version of Thin Lizzy which reformed as a tribute to the late Phil Lynott. He also released many albums under his own name as a solo artist.
John Sykes was one of my favorite guitarists. But, in addition to that, he was a fantastic singer and songwriter as well. He had the skills, the chops and the look. John Sykes was an 80s hard rock player personified.
You can learn more about John here.
I will close by saying thank you, John, for being such a huge musical influence and for sharing your wonderful gifts with the world. You will be missed, but not forgotten.
Rest In Peace.
©2025, The Beginning At Last
The Beginning At Last 
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