Bernie Marsden, the guitarist for Whitesnake, Dies at 72
The legendary hair metal band’s founding guitarist co-wrote classics including “Here I Go Again.”
At the age of 72, Bernie Marsden, the founding guitarist of the hugely successful 1980s metal band Whitesnake, passed away on Thursday night. Whitesnake lead singer and former bandmate David Coverdale made the first announcement, which was later verified by a family statement. He was seventy-two.
Born in 1951 in Buckingham, England, Marsden had already played in several well-known bands by the time he was in his mid-20s, such as UFO and Paice Ashton Lord. In a 2020 interview with Louder, he claims that he didn’t become well-known worldwide until 1978, when he and guitarist Micky Moody (then known as “David Coverdale’s Whitesnake”) formed Whitesnake, replacing Coverdale, who had just departed Deep Purple.
Regarding performing live with Whitesnake, Marsden remarked, “There are certain moments in your career that feel like turning points.” “This is the band you’ve always wanted to be in,” I told myself as I saw everything that was happening as I was performing.
Up until1982, Marsden was a member of Whitesnake, contributing to the songwriting of some of the group’s most well-known successes, including “Here I Go Again” and “Fool for You Loving.” The band reworked the latter song, which is possibly their most well-known success, for their 1987 album Whitesnake, which was released following Marsden’s departure.
The song, which peaked at number one on the US singles chart and stayed in the top 10 for weeks, was written in less than a day, according to Marsden, who spoke with Louder. It took around two hours, according to Marsden. Everything came together rather rapidly. And David became really enthusiastic when I played it for him. He went to his room and reworked the lyrics in a different order. That wasn’t an issue for me at all since that’s how we wrote back then—50/50.
“Robert Plant, Jon Lord, Paul Weller, Ringo Starr, Rory Gallagher, Jack Bruce, and Warren Haynes,” according to the world. In 2017, he also penned an autobiography titled Where’s My Guitar: An Inside Story of British Rock & Roll.
According to Billboard, his most recent album, Trios, was published in August 2022. In August of last year, Marsden made a message on social media stating that he had undergone surgery the same year and had encountered some health complications, including “acute dehydration.” He had canceled a tour scheduled for the end of 2022 due to difficulties, and it doesn’t seem like he ever went back on the road.
On Friday, Coverdale announced Marsden’s passing, describing him as “a genuinely funny, gifted man.” Shortly thereafter, Marsden’s family confirmed his passing via Instagram. “Bernie died peacefully on Thursday evening with his wife, Fran, and daughters, Charlotte and Olivia, by his side,” the post read. “Bernie never lost his passion for music, writing and recording new songs until the end.”
When asked in 2020 about his success, Marsden suggested that having loyal fans was just as important to a musician as skill or serendipity. “I think if you’ve got the talent, luck will fall your way,” Marsden told Louder. “All I’ve ever tried to do is play a show with as much honesty as I can, because without the people who put their hands in their pockets and come to gigs, there’s nothing left.”
