Former Whitesnake Guitarist Bernie Marsden Passes Away Aged 72

Legendary British guitarist Bernie Marsden, best known as one of the founding members of Whitesnake, has passed away, with his family by his side. He was seventy two years old. A message from his family reads as follows:

"On behalf of his family, it is with deep sadness we announce the death of Bernie Marsden. Bernie 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."

Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale offered his condolences, stating:
"Good Morning... I’ve just woken up to the awful news that my old friend & former Snake Bernie Marsden has passed. 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. RIP, Bernie XXX"

Marsden was born in Buckingham on May 7th 1951 and would perform in a number of bands as a teenager before joining UFO long enough to tour Europe and record some demos before being replaced by Michael Schenker. He would continue to work with notable musicians such as Jethro Tull bassist Glen n Cornick in the band Wild Turkey, Cozy Powell's Hammer and with Deep Purple members Jon Lord and Ian Paice in Paice Ashton Lord, the last of which came after a stint with Babe Ruth.

It was shortly after the breakup of Paice Ashton Lord that Marsden would find his biggest commercial success, joining with another ex Deep Purple member, David Coverdale, to form Whitesnake. Though only in the band for a few years, he performed on no less than five albums, as well as an EP and a live album and had writing credits on some of their biggest songs including, "Here I Go Again," "Fool For Your Loving" and "Lovehunter" to name only a few.

Following his departure from Whitesnake, he would perform in several other bands such as Alaska, MGM and The Moody Marsden Band, while also venturing on a successful solo career that saw him become one of the most revered guitarists in his home country. He was well known by Joe Bonamassa fans, sharing the stage with him on numerous occasions and also writing material for the guitarist.