Bernie Marsden, the original guitarist of the British rock band Whitesnake, has died at the age of 72. 

The news of Marsden's passing was first announced by fellow original band member David Coverdale.

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 with
RIP, Bernie XXX pic.twitter.com/KXwsDEICN6

— David Coverdale (@davidcoverdale) August 25, 2023

Marsden's family then confirmed Marden's death on his Instagram page.

The family wrote:

On behalf of his family, it is with deep sadness we announce the death of Bernie Marsden. Bernie 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.

At the time of this writing, the cause of death has not been reported.

The BBC, however, reports that Marsden's death followed an "illness." But, the outlet did not provide further details.

Marsden began his music career in the early 1970s when he joined the band UFO. This would turn out to be one of several bands that Marsden would be a part of over the years.

After UFO, in 1978, Marsden went on to be one of the founding members of Whitesnake. He was the guitarist, and the other original members include Coverdale, who was the band's frontman, Dave Dowie, the drummer, Neil Murray, the bassist, and Mick Moody, another guitarist.

Marsden remained with Whitesnake during a span from 1978 until 1982. This period saw the release of the albums Trouble, Lovehunter, Ready an' Willing, Come an' Get It, and Saints & Sinners. 

Marsden co-wrote several of the band's songs, including Here I Go Again and Fool for Your Loving. The former was the band's best single, topping the Billboard Hot 100 in 1987 for a period of 28 weeks. The latter reached number 37 in 1989.

Marsden would go on to perform with several other bands during his career, including Alaska and Moody Marsden Band. Marsden also briefly reunited with Whitesnake in 2011. This was the first time since 1981 that he performed with the band.

Marsden released several solo albums of his own, including And About Time Too and Look at Me Now. Marsden's most recent solo album was released in 2022. It is called Trios. 

Marsden is survived by his wife, Fran, and two daughters, Charlotte and Olivia.