Britain's Metal Hammer has been contacted by members of SAXON and ARCH ENEMY, paying tribute to guitar legend GARY MOORE.

Says Mike Amott (Arch Enemy): "Growing up in the 80’s in Sweden you couldn’t avoid Gary Moore. His Celtic hard-rock material of that era was massively popular here. As a guitar player he had a huge influence on the European scene, and certainly on myself. America had Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen, we had Gary Moore and Michael Schenker! There are so many Gary Moore-isms in Arch Enemy’s music… and that is something we are very proud of! Thank you for the music, R.I.P. Gary."

Saxon's Biff Byford states: "It’s really sad. We knew Gary from back in the 80s. We went to a few of his album recording sessions back then. Him and Michael Schenker and Paul [Quinn, Saxon guitarist] were quite close back then, so we’d go to their sessions and they’d come to ours. We lost connection with him a bit when he started doing the blues thing, but during his metal period we knew him well. His guitar playing was always incredible. His tone, in particular, was really something. I hung out with him and Phil Lynott at Stringfellows once! It was quite a messy evening, even though I didn’t drink at the time. It wasn’t a lap-dancing club back then. You had dinner upstairs and then downstairs was the disco, and it was full of fashion models and B-list film stars, and I was there with Gary and Phil Lynott! That was quite an experience! But it’s very sad to lose Gary. He’ll be greatly missed.”

Read the full report and see what Saxon's Dog Scarratt said at Metal Hammer.

According to the Mirror.co.uk, Moore died of a suspected heart attack, a postmortem revealed. The former Thin Lizzy star, 58, was on holiday with his girlfriend and died in his sleep. Forensic experts have ordered further tissue tests on his body ahead of a report, an inquiry heard.

Relatives including Gary’s brother, Cliff, are in the Costa del Sol, Spain, to make preparations to fly his body back home.

Moore, of Belfast, died at the five-star Kempinski Resort Hotel, in Estepona, at the weekend. Paramedics were called at 4 AM on Sunday after his girlfriend raised the alarm.

The pair had earlier eaten a burger and a sandwich, washed down with champagne and brandy.

A police spokesman said yesterday: “His death is not in any way suspicious. An inquiry has been opened to find the exact cause.”