Mike Peters, the legendary Welsh musician and charismatic lead singer of the rock band The Alarm, has passed away at the age of 66.
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According to the BBC, Peters, who also performed with Big Country, faced a three-decade battle with cancer. He was well-known for his fundraising efforts to fight the disease. Sadly, he succumbed to it.
The Alarm, formed in 1981, quickly gained recognition for their powerful, activist-driven rock anthems. Their early hits, such as “The Stand” and “Sixty Eight Guns,” made waves in the U.K., with the latter charting just two years after their debut.
In the 1980s, the band achieved success in the U.S. alternative scene with tracks like “Rain in the Summertime” and supported iconic acts like U2 on tour. Peters later shared the stage with legends Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.
Mike Peters’ Efforts to Battle Cancer Kept Him in the Public Eye
However, the singer’s enduring presence in the public eye was shaped not only by his music career but also by his battles with cancer. Diagnosed with lymphoma in 1995 and later facing lymphocytic leukemia twice, his resilience became an inspiring story. His wife of nearly 40 years, Jules, also fought her own battle with the disease.
He was first diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2005. The disease returned in 2015 but later went into remission.
Despite his health struggles, he continued to tour, record, and live with a sense of optimism and resilience, qualities that often defined his music. After leaving the Alarm in 1991, he collaborated with his wife in the band Poets of Justice. Nine years later, he reunited with the Alarm while also briefly serving as the lead singer for the Scottish band Big Country.
He co-founded the Love Hope Strength Foundation alongside his wife, an initiative dedicated to recruiting bone marrow donors at live music events. Beyond that, he has led mountain-climbing expeditions in the Himalayas and to Mount Kilimanjaro. In 2017, he launched the “Big Busk,” an inspiring walk connecting cancer wards in northern Welsh hospitals, culminating at the summit of Mount Snowdon.
Late last year, his lymphoma resurfaced, forcing him to cancel a U.S. tour. He underwent specialized therapy designed to “reprogram” his immune cells. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for his and his wife’s foundation announced his passing.
He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Jules, and their two sons, Dylan and Evan.