Mike Peters loses 30 year cancer battle

Yet more sad news to bring you from the world of music - the humble and talented Welsh rock star, Mike Peters, has succumbed to his battle with blood cancer, which he had been fighting on and off for thirty years.

Photo: Steve Rapport / Getty

Mike Peters always seemed to get defined by his country - the 'Welsh' prefix cropped up in pretty much every article about him - but it does seem to have been a key part of his essence. Born in Rhyl in 1959, formed his first punk band, The Toilets there, before creating his seminal band, The Alarm there in 1981, he lived his married life there, spending as many of his final days there as he could, before finally leaving us at what had sadly become his second home in recent months, The Christie hospital in Manchester.

He was working for the Kwik Save supermarket chain in 1977 when he saw The Clash play live in Chester. This set him on his musical path, forming The Toilets in the late 1970's, before The Alarm came into being in 1981, with Dave Sharp, Nigel Buckle and Eddie MacDonald.

They got their first gig in June of that year in Prestatyn, before moving to play the club circuit in London, where they got picked up by the IRS record label. They were one of the few British bands to make some headway in the US at that time, when U2 picked them to be the support act on their 1983 War tour of the States (they would also later get support slots with Dylan and Queen).

Debut album Declaration came out in 1984, including their biggest hit, 68 Guns, which peaked at 17 on the UK chart. They never had huge commercial success, but did notch up eight Top40 songs in the UK and a handful that made the Billboard Top100. Their first four albums also did moderately well in both countries.

The Alarm: 68 Guns (Official music video)

In 1991, Peters quit the band at the end of their Brixton Academy gig, to the surprise of the fans and indeed, the rest of the band. In the aftermath, he would form another act, The Poets Of Justice, which included his wife Jules on keyboards.

1995 saw him get his first cancer diagnosis, when he discovered he had non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He would get two more diagnoses, in 2005 and 2015, with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. He was always determined to fight the disease and carry on with his music career as best he could. He founded the Love Hope Strength Foundation, which raised awareness and got people to sign up to the bone marrow donor register.

The Alarm: Spirit of 76 (Live on The Old Grey Whistle Test, Dec 1985)

In 2000, a new version of The Alarm went back out on the road. He also had a stint with post-punk supergroup, Dead Men Walking, with Captain Sensible, Pete Wylie, Kirk Brandon and Glen Matlock. In 2011, he was one of several people who have stepped into Stuart Adamson's shoes in the years since his passing, leading Big Country for two years (during which time I saw him perform with them).

There were treks with musicians to play music in high places like the Himalayas, with the highlight being the 2007 trek to Everest base camp for the highest ever gig - with other players including Cy Curnin (The Fixx), Glenn Tilbrook (Squeeze) and Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats). Then, in 2017, he completed the Big Busk - walking between all the cancer wards in North Wales.

2019 saw him receive an MBE for his services to cancer care.

Then, the dreaded Richter Syndrome (his form of leukaemia) was back. 2022-2024 saw him spend huge amounts of time at The Christie in Manchester, with bouts of chemo. There was some positivity in the air this year, as he was declared well enough to go on the experimental CAR-T therapy.

Jules and Mike Peters Photo: Jules Peters

However, he didn't make it, dying yesterday aged 66. He is survived by Jules, his wife of 39 years, and two sons, Dylan and Evan

His friend, Billy Duffy of The Cult said, “I truly believe a light has gone out in the world today and I’m going to miss my brother from another mother. Mike was not only an inspiration to millions of people suffering from cancer but also an inspiration to me as he spread nothing but positivity in every situation. I can take some comfort from the fact that when the end came, he accepted it with his usual grace, and ended his days in this life in his beloved North Wales with his family and friends around him.”

Simple Minds' Jim Kerr, who knew Peters for many years, said, “Over the next day you’ll read a lot of comments describing Mike as a beautiful person, a Welsh hero, and so much more. All will be absolutely true. He was loved and admired by so many."

The Wonder Stuff posted - “On behalf of all of The Wonder Stuff’s band and crew, we salute Mike Peters for his invaluable service to rock’n’roll. A true inspiration and one of the kindest men you could ever wish to meet. We send our love to Jules and the boys. Thank you Mike, you made it better. ❤️”

Legendary producer Tony Visconti also had nothing but kind words, “Very sad news. Mike Peters of the group The Alarm has passed away. I had the pleasure of working with the band in 1989. Mike was a Welshman from the Valleys who didn’t grow up speaking that beautiful language, but he espoused it later in life, his wife Julie was his teacher. He supported cancer awareness causes as he was diagnosed early on. That he lived this long is a miracle. Rest In Peace dear Mike.”

Yes, rest in peace Mike....