Mike Peters, lead singer of Welsh rock band The Alarm, passed away on Tuesday (April 29) at age 66 after a long battle with cancer. Peters continued to tour and release music despite his three-decade fight against multiple forms of cancer, becoming a passionate advocate for cancer research and awareneess. Peters was born in Wales in 1959, and formed The Alarm with bassist Eddie McDonald, drummer Nigel Twist, and guitarist Dave Sharp. The group achieved success with albums like Declaration (which reached No. 50 on the Billboard 200 album chart) and Strength (No. 39), which earned them an opening slot on U2’s 1983 War Tour. The Alarm’s 1989 album, Change, was produced by Tony Visconti, which brought them their only Billboard Hot 100 Top 50 hit with “Sold Me Down the River” (No. 50). Their other charting singles were “Strength” (No. 61), “Rain in the Summertime” (No. 71) and “Presence of Love” (No. 77). Following the band’s split in 1991, Peters pursued a solo career, sharing the stage with music icons like Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. Peters faced multiple cancer diagnoses during his life, co-founding the charity Love Hope Strength with his wife, Jules, to help raise awareness around stem cell donation. Before his passing, Peters was preparing to release his final album, Transformation, and the second volume of his memoirs, Volume 2 HOPE – 1991-2005. (Billboard)
