Girin Concerts
John Sykes

John Sykes

electric guitar

b. 1959 in Reading — d. 2024

John James Sykes (29 July 1959 – 21 December 2024) was an English guitarist and singer, best known as a member of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and Tygers of Pan Tang. He also fronted the hard rock group Blue Murder and released several solo albums. Following a stint in the heavy metal band Tygers of Pan Tang in the early 1980s, Sykes joined Irish hard rock group Thin Lizzy for their 1983 album Thunder and Lightning. He then joined Whitesnake with whom he recorded the multi-platinum-selling self-titled 1987 album. However, Sykes was fired from the band before the record's release under acrimonious circumstances, which led to him forming his own group, Blue Murder.

Early life

John James Sykes was born 29 July 1959 in Reading, Berkshire. The Sykes family spent three years living in Ibiza, Spain, where John's father and uncle owned a discothèque. Afterward, they moved back to Reading. At age 14, Sykes took an interest in the guitar when his uncle showed him how to play some of Eric Clapton's licks. For the next two years, he practised playing blues songs on an old nylon-string guitar. Upon returning to Reading, Sykes entered a relationship and essentially gave up the guitar for a year and a half. After moving to Blackpool, Sykes resumed playing and was asked to join the band Streetfighter by his friend Mervyn Goldsworthy, who would later play bass in Diamond Head, Samson and FM.

Personal life

Sykes married Jennifer Brooks-Sykes on 10 April 1989 after four years of living together. They divorced in 1999. Sykes had three sons: James, John Jr. and Sean. Following Sykes's death, his friend and radio personality Eddie Trunk stated that Sykes had been in a relationship "for decades" with a woman named Kim. On 20 January 2025, it was announced via a statement on his social media and website that Sykes had died from cancer; his official website indicated that he died in December 2024, at the age of 65. On 21 December 2025, a one-year commemoration was posted on his official website, indicating he died on 21 December 2024.