Former Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden has died at the age of 72.
In a statement, his family said Marsden “died peacefully on Thursday evening with his wife, Fran, and daughters, Charlotte and Olivia, by his side.”
“Bernie never lost his passion for music, writing and recording new songs until the end,” the statement continued.
Marsden co-founded Whitesnake in 1978 with singer David Coverdale and guitarist Micky Moody, and co-wrote the band’s signature hit “Here I Go Again”.
Friends and fans alike have shared their condolences on social media. Cloverdale shared the following message on X, commonly known as Twitter, “I’ve just woken up to the awful news that my old friend & former Snake Bernie Marsden has passed,” Coverdale wrote. “My sincere thoughts & prayers to his beloved family, friends & fans. A genuinely funny, gifted man, whom I was honored to know & share a stage with.”
Marsden left the band in 1982 and continued to make music with new projects and as a solo artist. He wrote an autobiography, Where’s My Guitar, in 2017.