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.

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;

Guitarist John Sykes died earlier this month after a battle with cancer. He was 65. "It is with great sorrow we share that John Sykes has passed away after a hard-fought battle with cancer," a statement posted on Sykes' official Facebook page read on Monday,