Former THIN LIZZY guitarist/vocalist John Sykes has posted the following message:

"Our condolences to the family of GARY MOORE - one of the greatest guitar players ever. A very sad loss for the music world. His playing will inspire generations to come. God Bless. Love and respect. John Sykes."

According to The Sun, Gary Moore - who died in Estepona, Spain yesterday (February 6th) at the age of 58 - choked on his vomit after knocking back champagne and brandy.

The 58-year-old ex-Thin Lizzy star was discovered just before 4am by his girlfriend, unconscious in their Spanish hotel room.

Medics found him lying lifeless on his back wearing just his underpants.

An ambulance source said: "We believe the deceased had been drinking heavily."

A source at The Kempinski hotel on Spain's Costa del Sol - where suites cost up to £3,500 a night - said: "There were definite signs of alcohol in the room.

"His girlfriend was very distraught, in floods of tears."

In a career dating back to the 1960s, Moore played with artists including Phil Lynott and Brian Downey as early as his secondary school days, leading him to membership with the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy on three separate occasions. Moore shared the stage with such blues and rock luminaries as B.B. KING, ALBERT KING, COLOSSEUM II, GREG LAKE and SKID ROW (not to be confused with the glam metal band of the same name), as well as having a successful solo career.

Moore collaborated with a broad range of artists including GEORGE HARRISON, TRILOK GURTU, DR. STRANGELY STRANGE, COLOSSEUM II, ALBERT COLLINS, JIMMY NAIL, MO FOSTER, GINGER BAKER, JACK BRUCE, JIM CAPALDI, VICKI BROWN, COZY POWELL, THE BEACH BOYS, OZZY OSBOURNE and ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER on the composer's Variations (album) in 1977. He experimented with many musical genres, including rock, jazz, blues, country, electric blues, hard rock and heavy metal, according to Wikipedia.