It was in 1978, after his time as lead singer for Deep Purple, that Coverdale, along with Marsden and another guitarist, Micky Moody, formed the group Whitesnake.
“He was a genuinely funny, talented man who I am honored to have known and shared a stage with,” writes Coverdale on X.
Marsden was in Whitesnake for four years and co-wrote some of the group’s biggest hits, including “Here I go again” and “Fool for your loving”. However, the band’s big international breakthrough came a few years after Marsden left the band in 1982.
He was also known to have had a valuable guitar collection of over 200 instruments. Most valuable was probably a Gibson Les Paul, nicknamed “The Beast”, which was valued at close to 20 million kroner, The Guardian reports.
Bernie Marsden was 72 years old.