Portrait of English rock guitarist Bernie Marsden photographed at John Henry’s rehearsal space in London, on June 16, 2014

Former Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden died on Thursday at the age of 72.

A cause of death has not yet been revealed.

Bernie Marsden of Whitesnake in 1978.Fin Costello/Redferns/Getty

Bernie Marsden, guitarist with heavy rock band Whitesnake, playing the guitar on the set of a video shoot at Shepperton Studios, outside London, England, Great Britain, in 1978

Fin Costello/Redferns/Getty

The English rock and blues guitarist is known for writing a handful of the band’s hits, including “Here I Go Again,” “She’s a Woman” and “Fool for Your Loving.”

“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 withRIP, Bernie XXX 🙏🎸🙏🎸🙏🎸🙏🎸🙏,” he wrote, alongside a black and white photo of Marsden showcasing a set of guitars.

Coverdale also shared a handful of photos and videos of Marsdenon Twitter, too.During his tenure in Whitesnake, he released solo albums in 1979And About Time TooandLook at Me Nowin 1981. After leaving the band in 1981, he formed the groups Alaska and MGM, eventually reuniting with Whitesnake in 2011 to play the Sweden Rock Festival.

From left: singer David Coverdale (back), keyboard player Jon Lord, guitarist Bernie Marsden, drummer Dave Dowle, bassist Neil Murray and guitarist Micky Moody of Whitesnake in 1978.Fin Costello/Redferns/Getty

Whitesnake (from left: singer David Coverdale (back), keyboard player Jon Lord, guitarist Bernie Marsden, drummer Dave Dowle, bassist Neil Murray and guitarist Micky Moody) on the set of a video shoot at Shepperton Studios, outside London, England, Great Britain, in 1978

In 2015, he received an honorary Master of Arts degree from The University of Buckingham in 2015.

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Marsden was also an avid guitar collector and his second book, 2018’sTales of Tone and Volume,was a photographic tribute to his passion. He even had two endorsed guitars in his honor — PRS Guitars made a Bernie Marsden Signature Edition guitar, and Gibson Guitars created a limited-edition Gibson Les Paul electric guitar called “The Beast.”

source: people.com