John Sykes, a veteran hard-rock guitarist who was a member of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and the Tygers of Pan Tang, has died, according to a post on his official Facebook page. He had battled cancer for several years;

"In his final days, he spoke of his sincere love and gratitude for his fans who stuck by him through all these years," a statement released Monday read.

John Sykes, the British hard rock guitarist best known for his time in Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake, has passed away. Sykes’ social-media pages reported his passing yesterday, saying that Sykes died after a “hard fought battle with cancer.