DER BRITISCHE ROCK-GITARRIST UND SONGWRITER JOHN SYKES IST GESTORBEN

Der am 29. Juli 1959 in Reading geborene britische Rock-Gitarrist und Songwriter John Sykes (Bild) ist am 20. Januar 2025 gestorben. Er war als Mitglied der Bands Tygers of Pan Tang, Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, Blue Murder und Streetfighter sowie durch seine Soloarbeit bekannt. Das erfolgreichste Album, auf dem Sykes zu hören ist, ist «1987» aus demselben Jahr, das er als Bandmitglied von Whitesnake aufnahm. Gemeinsam mit Sänger David Coverdale schrieb er die meisten der Songs, darunter «Still of the Night», «Is This Love?» und «Children of the Night». (*) 2004 stand John Sykes auf der Liste der 100 besten Heavy-Metal-Gitarristen aller Zeiten des Magazins «Guitar World».

Bild: John Sykes, 1984 – Foto: odonata22 (Dana Wullenwaber), https://www.flickr.com/photos/odonata22/909872905/in/faves-24788065@N02/ – Lizenz: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en – Datei: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Sykes_1984.jpg

Former Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake guitarist John Sykes dead at 65

The death of John Sykes, whose contributions to Whitesnake spurred them to become one of the biggest-selling bands of the eighties, has been confirmed.

Fraser Lewry

https://www.loudersound.com/news/john-sykes-rip

Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake guitarist John Sykes dies aged 65

Whitesnake’s David Coverdale and Slash of Guns N’ Roses pay tribute to musician described as an ‘exceptional talent’.

Laura Snapes

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jan/21/thin-lizzy-whitesnake-guitarist-john-sykes-dies

He will be remembered by many as a man with exceptional musical talent

The statement on Sykes’s website read: «It is with great sorrow we share that John Sykes has passed away after a hard fought battle with cancer.

«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 sombre, we hope the light of his memory will extinguish the shadow of his absence.»

Christy Cooney

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8qvz0gq90o

Guitarist for acclaimed rock bands

Sykes was best known for his time with Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy, though he was also celebrated for his time with Tygers of Pan Tang. The English guitarist, who was born in Reading, got his start in the heavy metal band Tygers of Pan Tang and featured on both of their 1981 records. After growing frustrated with the band, he quit Tygers and joined Thin Lizzy in 1982.

Surren Singh

https://www.nme.com/news/music/whitesnake-and-thin-lizzy-guitarist-john-sykes-has-died-aged-65-3830586

Er folgte stets seinem eigenen Rhythmus und setzte sich immer für Außenseiter ein

Sein Gesicht kennen vielleicht gar nicht alle Rockfans, einige der Stücke, die er mitschrieb, aber garantiert. Jetzt ist John Sykes im Alter von 65 Jahren gestorben. Er hat einige der größten Hits auf „1987“ mitgeschrieben, dem erfolgreichsten Album von Whitesnake aus dem selben Jahr.

https://www.rollingstone.de/thin-lizzy-whitesnake-john-sykes-tot-2910107

Audios / Videos:

Diverse

https://www.youtube.com/c/johnjamessykes

Whitesnake – Still Of The Night demos 1985-1987