Why did John Sykes leave Thin Lizzy? Exit explored as legendary guitarist dies at 65

John Sykes, known for his work with bands like Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy, has died at the age of 65 after a prolonged battle with cancer.

The news was confirmed on his official social media accounts. The statement 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.”

The statement added,

"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.” It concluded on the note that the impact of Sykes’s death is “profound” and “the light of his memory will extinguish the shadow of his absence.”

According to a report in Blabbermouth, after the release of Thin Lizzy’s final studio album, Thunder and Lightning in 1983, Sykes decided to leave the group in 1984 to pursue his solo career in the music industry.

To understand John Sykes's exit from the band Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake, let us delve deeper.

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Exploring John Sykes and his connection with Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake

John Sykes was a British musician. He began his career in 1980 with the band Tygers of Pan Tang. After two years, he became the lead guitarist of the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, per a report.

First, I would like to thank the fans for all the support over the years and say it has been truly a privilege and an honor to sing and play Philip's [Lynott] great songs in THIN LIZZY. After dedicating many years to the band, I feel it's time to get back to playing my own music, and I very much look forward to touring in the near future. As always, love and respect to Phil. See you all soon."

Another report in Blabbermouth stated that the guitarist Scott Graham spoke about Sykes’s split with the band. Mentioning drummer Tommy Aldridge's injury, Graham said:

"It's been a very tough time of late for myself and the band, firstly with drummer Tommy Aldridge's injury and now the subsequent decision for John and the rest of the group to go their separate ways. I can only apologize to everyone who has supported us over the years, but we will be back up to full speed soon."

Following his departure from Thin Lizzy, John Sykes accepted an invitation from David Coverdale to join Whitesnake, which marked the beginning of a new chapter in his career.

In 1984, John Sykes became a member of Whitesnake. While speaking to Metal Hammer in 2009, Coverdale opened up on the reason he invited Sykes to the group.

"I wanted Whitesnake to be leaner, meaner and more electrifying,” he said. “I felt that we’d done extra- ordinarily well. We’d made six albums in just a few years. We did fabulously on those albums, but I really felt that we were flogging a dead snake. For me personally, I felt it was time for a change. I didn’t want to stay in the same old traditional blues and pop scenario.”

Coverdale added,

"It was simply my choice as an artist. I wanted to pursue another direction. That was my whole modus operandi. The reason I invited John Sykes into the band was to actually afford that transition, or someone of that style and it happened to be Sykes. And that was it.”

In 1984, John Sykes released the first album with Whitesnake titled Slide It In, and in 1987 the band released a self-titled album which features the classic hits Still of the Night and Is This Love.

According to Louder Sound, he was fired from the band in 1987 due to his strained relationship with Coverdale.

"John was and is an incredible talent," Coverdale said as reported by Ultimate Classic Rock. "Our musical chemistry was great, but it didn’t work personally. The truth of the matter is no matter how incredible of an album that we made together, we were unable to connect as people."

Later, he formed Blue Murder in 1989, which features a blend of rock and melodic elements. The band featured bassist Tony Franklin and drummer Carmine Appice, according to his website. Blue Murder went their separate ways in 1994.

According to Louder Sound, John Sykes released his debut album, Out of My Tree, in 1995. His last solo album, Nuclear Cowboy, was released in 2000.