Former Whitesnake guitarist dies

LONDON (Reuters) - Fellow musicians have paid tribute to Mel Galley, former guitarist in British hard rock band Whitesnake who died of cancer this week aged 60.

Galley also played in Trapeze.

"He took my hand as a boy and walked me through my earliest chapters as a young musician," Glenn Hughes, a singer and bass guitarist with Trapeze, said on his website.

"He alone is responsible for my career as a working musician/singer-songwriter," added Hughes, who went on to play with Deep Purple.

Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale also said he "treasures the memory of knowing him and working together with him," according to the BBC.

Galley played with Whitesnake between 1982 and 1984, when he had to leave the band after hurting his arm in an accident.

On a posting on his MySpace page shortly after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Galley paid tribute to his wife and two sons and added:

"I have enjoyed a great life, traveled the world having some amazing experiences, met all sorts of people and played with some of the best musicians there are."

Reuters/Nielsen