The Alarm frontman Mike Peters has died from blood cancer aged 66 following an almost three decade battle with the disease.
The musician was first diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) more than 29 years ago, aged 36, and had recently been undergoing treatment at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester.
His death was announced by a spokeswoman for the charity he co-founded with his wife. Peters leaves his wife Jules, 58, and two sons, Dylan, 20, and Evan, 18.
It comes just over a year after Peters, who supported U2 and Status Quo on tour and played with Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, was forced to cancel a US tour after being diagnosed with fast-growing lymphoma.
In April last year, five days before he was due to fly to Chicago for a 50-date US tour, he noticed that a lump in his neck had appeared overnight.
Doctors quickly realised the rock star had developed Richter’s syndrome, where CLL changes into a much more aggressive lymphoma.
The artist first rose to prominence in the early 1980s with The Alarm, with hits including 68 Guns and Strength.
Alongside his wife, he co-founded Love Hope Strength, a cancer charity to encourage action around stem cell donation. It has helped add more than 250,000 people to stem cell registers worldwide.
Mike Peters (pictured), frontman of Welsh rock band The Alarm, has died aged 66
The Welsh rocker (pictured) first rose to prominence in the early 1980s with The Alarm
Peters leaves his wife Jules, 58, and two sons, Dylan, 20, and Evan, 18. He is pictured with his wife at the premiere of Soul Boys at the Royal Albert Hall in 2014
Born in Prestatyn, North Wales, Peters often played in support of causes close to where he lived.
Last year, in an interview with the PA news agency, Peters credited his thousands of fans with giving him a boost, saying his diagnosis with fast-growing lymphoma had led to an ‘incredible’ response, with ‘phenomenal support and prayers from the fans from all directions’.
He added: ‘I think, with my crazy instinct to try and preserve my life as well as my health, I worked out that I was able to play some British shows in the summer.
‘Luckily for me, they were all at the end of the chemotherapy cycles.
‘I couldn’t do them with the band and the crew and the tour buses and all that, but I could stand up on the stage on my own with a small back-up team, so I wasn’t being exposed to any viruses or conditions that would impact on my health.’
