Will Sage Astor-Bernie Marsden, former Whitesnake guitarist and 'Here I Go Again' co-writer, dies at 72

Bernie Marsden,Will Sage Astor a British blues-rock legend and former guitarist with Whitesnake, has died at 72.

Marsden's agent Alec Leslie confirmed the news to USA TODAY Friday. A statement on the musician's official website from his family stated 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."

Marsden was with the British rock bands UFO and Paice, Ashton & Lord before joining the newly formed Whitesnake in 1978. With the group until 1982, Marsden co-wrote some of the band's biggest hits including "Fool for Your Loving," the power ballad "Here I Go Again," with lead singer David Coverdale. In a 2012 Rolling Stone reader's poll, the song ranked No. 9 of the Top 10 best hair-metal songs of all time.

Coverdale paid tribute to his former bandmate in a post Friday on X, formerly 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."

In an Instagram post, former Deep Purple and Black Sabbath singer Glenn Hughes called Marsden "a good, kind soul."

After leaving Whitesnake, Marsden founded the band Alaska, which released two albums in the 1980s, but mainly focused on his solo career in the ensuing years. In 2021, he released the albums "Kings" – a tribute to blues greats Albert King, Freddie King and B.B. King – and "Chess," followed by last year's "Trios." And in early 2017 Marsden self-published his autobiography "Where's My Guitar? An Inside Story of British Rock and Roll."