Former Thin Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore died in his sleep yesterday morning at a Costa del Sol hotel.

The musician, 58, was found dead hours after checking into the five-star hotel at the Spanish resort with a woman in her 30s.

Staff said they shared a bottle of champagne and he sank some brandy as they enjoyed the first night of what was meant to be a six-day holiday in Estepona.

A source at the Kempinski Resort Hotel said: “He was recognized by a fan who talked to him about his music and he was really chatty and friendly. He seemed fine when he left the bar at around 11pm.

“The alarm was raised around 4am.”

The woman, thought to be Moore’s girlfriend, made a string of tearful calls from the hotel foyer but she declined to comment on the death.

A postmortem is expected to be carried out in the nearby city of Malaga, The Mirror reported.