Thin Lizzy Guitarist Gary Moore Found Dead in Hotel

Gary Moore. (AP) (AP2001)

Spain's Interior Ministry said Monday police will await the outcome of an autopsy on Thin Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore before deciding if an investigation into his death is needed.

Moore, a former member of the influential Irish band, died early Sunday at a hotel in the southern Spanish town of Estepona, where he was vacationing.

He was 58.

A ministry spokeswoman in nearby Malaga city said there were no signs of foul play. She spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with ministry regulations.

She said the autopsy will be carried out in Malaga but it was not known when the result would be released.

A spokesman for the British embassy in Madrid said they were aware of the death and were in touch with authorities. He said it will be up to Moore's relatives to decide on funeral details.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with embassy policy.

Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1952, Moore was a member of Dublin band Skid Row before joining Thin Lizzy in 1973, playing on tracks for the "Nightlife" album. He left after four months, but rejoined four years later and played on the band's "Black Rose" album before going solo once again.

He had a successful solo career, and his accomplished blues style won much praise from other musicians.

Moore's best known solo hits include "Still Got The Blues, "The Loner" and "Parisienne Walkways," the latter featuring a guest lead vocal by late Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott.

Thin Lizzy had global hits in the 1970s with songs like "The Boys are Back in Town" and "Whiskey in the Jar," before Moore rejoined them. Lynott died in 1986, but with a different lineup the band continues to tour today.