He 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.

In 1984, he joined Whitesnake at the invitation of founder and frontman David Coverdale, recording parts for their Slide It In album and later for their self-titled 1987 release which was a critical and commercial success.

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.

The statement on Sykes’s website 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.

“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.”

Paying tribute on X, Coverdale shared a number of photos of himself and and Sykes together in Whitesnake’s heyday.

“Just heard the shocking news of John’s passing…” he said.

“My sincere condolences to his family, friends & fans…”

Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash shared a picture of Sykes performing and wrote simply: “RIP”.