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.

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

“When [guitarist] Snowy White decided to leave Thin Lizzy, John was the natural choice to join us. While Snowy brought a laid-back, bluesy feel to the band, John introduced a heavier, more intense element that Phil Lynott absolutely embraced.

Legendary guitarist John Sykes lost his battle with cancer and succumbed to death on Monday, January 20, aged 65.

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

John Sykes, the electrifying guitarist who rocked the world in legendary bands Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy, has died at 65.

Revered hard rock guitarist John Sykes, best known for his work in Thin Lizzy and the multi-platinum selling glam rock outfit Whitesnake, has died at age 65

The English guitarist arrived in the 1980s' New Wave of British Heavy Metal, toting a Les Paul Custom and a vibrato wider than the English Channel

John Sykes, guitarist with Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy who co-wrote the hit singles 'Still of the Night' and 'Is This Love,' has died. He was 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