The legendary 1980s metal band Whitesnake’s original guitarist, Bernie Marsden, passed away on Thursday night at the age of 72. Former bandmate and Whitesnake lead vocalist David Coverdale broke the news first, and his family later issued a statement confirming it. He was 72.
In his mid-20s, Marsden—who was born in 1951 in Buckingham, England—had already been a part of a number of renowned bands, including UFO & Paice Ashton Lord. In an interview with Louder in 2020, he claimed that it wasn’t until 1978 that he achieved global renown, forming Whitesnake (formerly known as “David Coverdale’s Whitesnake”) with guitarist Micky Moody & Coverdale, who had just left the group Deep Purple.
When it comes to performing live with Whitesnake, Marsden remarked, “There are certain situations in your career that seem like turning points.” While I was playing, I was thinking to myself, “This is the band you always imagined you would be in.”
While still a member of Whitesnake in 1982, Marsden co-wrote several of the group’s most well-known hits, including “Fool for You Loving” and “Here I Go Again.” After Marsden had departed the group, the later song—possibly Whitesnake’s most well-known hit—was recut for the group’s 1987 album Whitesnake.
The song, which peaked at number one on the U.S. singles chart and spent weeks in the top 10, was written in less than a day, according to Marsden in an interview with Louder. It took around two hours, according to Marsden. “Everything fell into place quite soon. David was incredibly ecstatic when I played it for him. He revised and altered the lyrics in his room. That was how we wrote back then, fifty-fifty, so I had absolutely no issues with that.
After leaving Whitesnake, Marsden started working on a number of solo projects and he worked with notable people such, according to Guitar World, “Robert Plant, Ringo Starr, Paul Weller, Jack Bruce, Jon Lord, Rory Gallagher, and Warren Haynes.” Where’s My Guitar: An Inside Story of British Rock and Roll, his autobiography, was also written by him and released in 2017.
Trios, his most recent album, was released in August 2022, according to Billboard. In addition to undergoing surgery that year, Marsden also suffered from “acute dehydration,” according to a message he shared on social media in August of last year. He postponed a tour due to the difficulties, and it doesn’t appear he went back on the road.
Marsden’s passing was revealed by Coverdale on Friday. He was remembered as “a genuinely funny, gifted man.” Marsden’s family announced his passing shortly after on Instagram. The message stated, “Bernie passed away peacefully on Thursday night with his wife Fran and daughters Charlotte and Olivia by his side. “Bernie never lost his enthusiasm for music, writing and recording new songs right up until the end.”
When questioned about his success in 2020, Marsden said that having devoted followers was just as crucial to an artist as talent or luck. Marsden told Louder, “I think if you’ve got the talent, fortune will fall your way. Because there wouldn’t be any performances without the people that put their hands in their pockets and attend them, all I’ve ever tried to do is play a show as honestly as I can.