BBC News
Mike Peters, front man of Welsh rockers The Alarm and a long-standing cancer campaigner and fundraiser, has died aged 66.
His band was formed in 1981 in Rhyl, Denbighshire, out of the punk era and had a top 20 hit, Sixty Eight Guns, two years later.
It typified an anthemic style of song but their unpretentious and down-to-earth approach earned loyal followings on both sides of the Atlantic.
Peters lived with blood cancer for 30 years, following his diagnosis of lymphoma in 1995, and later having chronic lymphocytic leukaemia twice.
He was born in Prestatyn, Denbighshire, and lived in Dyserth with his wife of 39 years, Jules – who had fought her own cancer battle – and their sons Dylan, 20 and Evan, 18.
He was awarded the MBE in 2019 for his services to cancer care.
Peters – who had worked in the computer department for Kwik Save supermarket – had started the band The Toilets in Rhyl in 1977, after seeing the Sex Pistols play in Chester.
After various changes of line-up, notably the introduction of guitarist Dave Sharp, and changes of name, The Alarm played their first gig in Prestatyn in 1981.
They would go on to sell an estimated five million records and also become the first Welsh musicians since Tom Jones and Bonnie Tyler to crack America.
Thanks to a support slot with U2 on their 1983 US tour, The Alarm gained a transatlantic following – not an inconsiderable achievement.
Their debut album Declaration was released in 1984. As well as Sixty Eight Guns, it also included another favourite, Blaze of Glory.
The band had honed their live performances by extensive touring, and were also reliable “go-to” support choice for big names – which included Bob Dylan, Queen and U2 again – including an appreciative crowd at Cardiff’s National Stadium in 1987.
Despite their travels, The Alarm still had strong bonds with their homeland and Peters was able to live quietly in north Wales.
The band also released a Welsh-language version of their 1989 album Change, called Newid.
Peters announced from the stage in London that he was quitting The Alarm in 1991 but continued to work with The Poets Of Justice, the line-up including his wife Jules.
In 1999, Peters worked with The Cult guitarist Billy Duffy forming a band called Coloursound.
Duffy said he felt the Welshman “inspired millions of people” during his career.
“(Music) was his lifeblood. Everything was an inspiration for him to express his feelings through music,” he added.
He reformed The Alarm in 2000 and also worked as the singer for Big Country for a couple of years from 2011.
The Alarm has sold more than five million albums and had 16 UK Top 50 singles.
Television presenter, and former The Alarm roadie, Gareth Jones said Mike Peters has been the “most significant person” in his life.
He even gave him his nickname Gaz Top, which has stuck to this day.
“I would have never had a career if it wasn’t for him and it’s a hard day to know that he’s not around anymore,” he said.
Jones said that The Alarm frontman had a positive effect on “everyone” around him.
“We loved together, we drank together, we played rock ‘n’ roll together,” he added.
“We’ll always be connected.”
He co-founded the Love Hope Strength Foundation alongside his wife to help recruit bone marrow donors at live music shows.
It also involved Peters and fellow musicians taking treks to the Himalayas, to peaks including Mount Kilimanjaro and Yr Wyddfa, also known as Snowdon, in his native Wales.
The charity’s director, Kirsty Thomson, called him a “brilliant advocate” of the NHS, adding that he “loved life like nobody else I know”.
The 2007 concert was billed the “world’s highest”, watched by 3m online. In 2017, his Big Busk involved a walk between cancer wards at each north Wales hospital and ended on the summit of Snowdon.
He would take his message to Washington and Westminster.
Peters also filmed a documentary about his cancer fight and one with his wife Jules for BBC Wales about a year in their lives and her recovery from breast cancer, While We Still Have Time.
Peters joined Bruce Springsteen on stage at charity concert in 2014 and musicians who had joined The Alarm for impromptu appearances ranged from Bono to Neil Young.
Peters was affable and approachable and tireless in both his campaigning – and in continuing to tour with his music across Europe and the United States, as well as writing new material.
There were also annual weekend events in Llandudno – The Gathering – which brought together fans from all over to celebrate the music of Peters and The Alarm.
In March 2018, part of a tour of Germany was postponed after Peters suffered an allergic reaction to his medication.
In 2025, he became ill again when his Richter syndrome – an aggressive form of lymphoma – returned.
He said it would have killed him within two months if left untreated, adding music had kept him alive since his latest diagnosis.
Peters said he hoped a highly specialised therapy which “re-programmes” his immune cells would lead to a “cancer free life”.
“It was devastating because it all happened in an instant,” he said.
“There was no chance to even think about it.”
In 2018, he told Guitar World magazine that his “simple message” was “to stay alive and appreciate every second you’ve got”.
“Live right up to the last breath and stay positive about the world, your family and the environment you live in.”