Mike Peters, the frontman of 1980s alternative rock group The Alarm, has died after a decades-long battle with cancer. He was 66.
His death was confirmed in a statement from the group’s publicist on Tuesday. A memorial video was also posted on YouTube.
The North Wales native co-founded The Alarm with Dave Sharp, Nigel Twist and Eddie McDonald in the early 1980s before landing a record deal with I.R.S. Records, whose roster boasted R.E.M. and The Go-Gos.
The group gained traction and built a fan base with the songs “The Stand,” “Strength” and “Sixty Eight Guns,” which charted in the U.K. Other notable tracks include “Blaze of Glory,” “Spirit of 76” and “Marching On.”
Peters, who also played with Bruce Springsteen, lived with blood cancer for 30 years, following his diagnosis of lymphoma in 1995.
Battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia twice, he was a long-standing activist in the fight against cancer.
The Welsh rocker and his wife Jules — a breast cancer survivor herself — co-founded the Love Hope Strength Foundation, with a mission to raise awareness on new treatments for cancer patients.
The couple were the subject of the 2017 documentary “Mike and Jules: While We Still Have Time.”
Their rock & roll cancer charity‘s “Get on the List” campaigns have reportedly helped add 250,000 people to the global stem cell registry.
While Peters exited The Alarm in 1991, he revived the band years later, releasing several albums and touring.
After going into remission and relapsing several times, the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist was diagnosed with Richter’s Syndrome, another aggressive form of lymphoma, shortly before embarking on a string of U.S. concerts last year.
According to the BBC, he went into remission again in September, but the cancer came back.
Peters is survived by wife, and their sons, Dylan, 20, and Evan, 18.
