John Sykes, who was known for his work with the bands Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy, has died at the age of 65.
The British rock guitarist "passed away after a hard fought battle with cancer" a statement released following his death shared.
It described him as a "thoughtful, kind, and charismatic man whose presence lit up the room" and said that, in his final days, he had expressed a "sincere love and gratitude for his fans".
The statement on Sykes's website read: "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."
Sykes appeared on two Whitesnake albums and co-wrote some of the band's best-known songs, including Still Of The Night and Is This Love, BBC News reports.
Sykes began his career in 1980 with heavy metal band Tygers Of Pan Tang, recording two albums before joining Thin Lizzy in 1982.
He played on the 1983 release Thunder and Lightning before accompanying frontman Phil Lynott on a European tour with a separate group called The Three Musketeers.
After that, he joined Whitesnake in 1984 at the invitation of founder and frontman David Coverdale.
Sykes recorded parts for their Slide It In album and later for their self-titled 1987 release which was a critical and commercial success.
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After leaving Whitesnake he released two albums with his own group, Blue Murder, and later formed a touring version of Thin Lizzy which had disbanded in the years before Lynott's death in 1986.
Paying tribute on X (formerly known as Twitter), Coverdale shared a number of photos of himself and Sykes together in Whitesnake's heyday
He wrote: "Just heard the shocking news of John's passing...My sincere condolences to his family, friends & fans..."