Tributes for Whitesnake guitarist

Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale has paid tribute to the band's guitarist Mel Galley, who has died at the age of 60 from cancer of the oesophagus.

The rock singer said that he "treasures the memory of knowing him and working together with him".

Galley, who died at his home in Staffordshire, had been due to tour with a new band later this summer.

He joined the Whitesnake line-up in 1982, scoring a top 10 album with the band that year, Saints'n'Sinners.

Coverdale had dissolved the band after taking time off to look after his ill daughter, and recruited Galley when he returned to music.

But his recording career with Whitesnake was limited to one album after he injured his arm in 1984, leaving him temporarily unable to play the guitar.

Galley also played with other bands during his career, including Trapeze and the Blue Jays.

His manager Tony Perry called him "a superb musician and true friend", adding that it had been "a wonderful experience" to have been involved in his career.