Mike Peters dead: The Alarm frontman dies aged 66 after 30-year blood cancer battle
The Alarm frontman Mike Peters has died following a blood cancer diagnosis. It was announced by a spokesperson for the charity he co-founded with his wife that Mike has died at the age of 66, three decades on from his first cancer diagnosis.
Mike had to cancel his US tour last year owing to his health, when he was diagnosed with fast-growing lymphoma. Today, it was announced that Mike had died, leaving behind his wife and two children.
He had been due to fly out to the US last year - but just five days before his 50 date US tour began, he noticed a lump in his neck. Doctors were quick to check his health and he was soon diagnosed with Richter's syndrome, which is where the chronic lymphocytic leukaemia changes into a more aggressive lymphoma.
Mike had his first blood cancer diagnosis over three decades ago, when he was just 36 years old. Just last year, he posted a lengthy message of support for others going through Richter's syndrome - as he shared his own positive update.
He wrote back in September: "I'm writing from The Christie Hospital in Manchester where I have just been informed by Professor Adrian Bloor that, following the completion of the Clinical Trial and chemotherapy, I am now in Complete Remission.
"It is momentous news, especially when considering that I was only diagnosed with the aggressive Richter's Syndrome last April and told that without treatment, I could expect to live for just 2-12 months."
He went on to heap praise on his wife and two sons Dylan and Evan for their support, as he thanked those who he had worked with who had ensured he could still be up on stage and perform like he loved, and avoid the risk of infection.
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North Wales Chronicle
2 days ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Artist paints Mike Peters while watching his funeral
Tanja Durrant, 54, who paints under the name of Gigsketch Art, grew up in North Wales and was inspired by The Alarm as a teenager. She first saw the band perform while supporting U2 at Cardiff Arms Park in the 1980s - the first-ever gig that she travelled to at the age of 16. The experience left a lasting impression on her as a young Welsh music fan. Years later, Tanja crossed paths with Mike Peters again - this time through the Love Hope Strength Foundation, the cancer charity he co-founded after his own health battles. Tanja joined Snowdon Rocks 2 to raise money for the charity and also in memory of her mother, a keen walker who died of leukaemia in 2005, nine years after her diagnosis. Tanja painting a tribute to Mike during the livestream of his funeral (Image: Tanja Durrant) Tanja, who has a 14-year-old son, said: "I remember it being a wet and windy midsummers day but that didn't dampen our spirits. I remember Mike singing before the walk, halfway up and on the summit. He was such a friendly, down to earth and humble man and took time to chat to us all. I took some photographs at the time from the summit, which was shrouded in low cloud and thought at the time, what a good painting it would make. I never did do that painting but over the years, I have focussed on drawing and painting at live gigs and performances and am now building my business as a full time freelance live event painter [Gigsketch Art]. "On learning of the open funeral at Dyserth for Mike, I wanted to attend but I live in Cornwall and couldn't make the journey so I decided to watch the livestream. I wanted to pay tribute to Mike and my memories of him so I did a painting of him whilst watching the funeral. Tanja painted the art from memory and by using photo references (Image: Tanja Durrant) "I hope to raise funds for Love Hope Strength by doing a limited edition print run of the painting, donating a percentage of the profits to the charity." Tanja, who usually paints live - at gigs, festivals and weddings and uses mainly acrylic paint for her art, painted the art from memory, photo and video reference. She said she felt "very connected" to Mike whilst doing the painting. The painting includes the bird that perched on Mike's guitar; The bird, identified as a Dipper - a short-tailed, stout bird, made its appearance when James Chippendale, co-founder of the Love Hope Strength Foundation, was paying tribute to his friend during the funeral service. Tanja said: "Just watching the funeral and remembering Mike in The Alarm and when they supported U2 made me feel very connected to Mike when I was painting. Mike Peters with Tania; Tania met Mike at Snowdon Rocks 2 (Image: Tanja Durrant) "It was memories too from Snowdon Rocks 2. Mike was playing the guitar and we were singing along, It was a very special moment." Tanja, who has painted three murals at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan, first got into sketching bands through a personal connection to Jools Holland; she knew one of his band members from a previous job with a touring cabaret theatre troupe. She said: "Having not seen my friend for a few years, I made some calls and blagged my way into a Jools Holland gig in Cardiff in 1999. I got to know them all and ended up travelling and sketching on the road with them after asking if I could sketch from the wings at a Llandudno outdoor gig the following year. "I ended up moving to London to caretake Jools's recording studio for a spell, meeting other Welsh greats such as Stereophonics and Tom Jones, and I was lucky enough to sketch at some of the later shows." Thousands of fans descended on Dyserth on Thursday, May 29 for Mike's funeral which was held at Parish Church of St Bridget and St Cwyfan. A large screen was set up outside the church. The funeral, broadcast on The Alarm's YouTube, has been watched by more than 100,000 people. Mike died aged 66 on April 29 from blood cancer. The musician was first diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) at the age of 36. Anyone interested in purchasing a print of the painting can contact info@ Readers can also search Gigsketch Art on Facebook and Instagram @gigsketch_art
Rhyl Journal
2 days ago
- Rhyl Journal
Artist paints Mike Peters while watching his funeral
Tanja Durrant, 54, who paints under the name of Gigsketch Art, grew up in North Wales and was inspired by The Alarm as a teenager. She first saw the band perform while supporting U2 at Cardiff Arms Park in the 1980s - the first-ever gig that she travelled to at the age of 16. The experience left a lasting impression on her as a young Welsh music fan. Years later, Tanja crossed paths with Mike Peters again - this time through the Love Hope Strength Foundation, the cancer charity he co-founded after his own health battles. Tanja joined Snowdon Rocks 2 to raise money for the charity and also in memory of her mother, a keen walker who died of leukaemia in 2005, nine years after her diagnosis. Tanja painting a tribute to Mike during the livestream of his funeral (Image: Tanja Durrant) Tanja, who has a 14-year-old son, said: "I remember it being a wet and windy midsummers day but that didn't dampen our spirits. I remember Mike singing before the walk, halfway up and on the summit. He was such a friendly, down to earth and humble man and took time to chat to us all. I took some photographs at the time from the summit, which was shrouded in low cloud and thought at the time, what a good painting it would make. I never did do that painting but over the years, I have focussed on drawing and painting at live gigs and performances and am now building my business as a full time freelance live event painter [Gigsketch Art]. "On learning of the open funeral at Dyserth for Mike, I wanted to attend but I live in Cornwall and couldn't make the journey so I decided to watch the livestream. I wanted to pay tribute to Mike and my memories of him so I did a painting of him whilst watching the funeral. Tanja painted the art from memory and by using photo references (Image: Tanja Durrant) "I hope to raise funds for Love Hope Strength by doing a limited edition print run of the painting, donating a percentage of the profits to the charity." Tanja, who usually paints live - at gigs, festivals and weddings and uses mainly acrylic paint for her art, painted the art from memory, photo and video reference. She said she felt "very connected" to Mike whilst doing the painting. The painting includes the bird that perched on Mike's guitar; The bird, identified as a Dipper - a short-tailed, stout bird, made its appearance when James Chippendale, co-founder of the Love Hope Strength Foundation, was paying tribute to his friend during the funeral service. Tanja said: "Just watching the funeral and remembering Mike in The Alarm and when they supported U2 made me feel very connected to Mike when I was painting. Mike Peters with Tania; Tania met Mike at Snowdon Rocks 2 (Image: Tanja Durrant) "It was memories too from Snowdon Rocks 2. Mike was playing the guitar and we were singing along, It was a very special moment." Tanja, who has painted three murals at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan, first got into sketching bands through a personal connection to Jools Holland; she knew one of his band members from a previous job with a touring cabaret theatre troupe. She said: "Having not seen my friend for a few years, I made some calls and blagged my way into a Jools Holland gig in Cardiff in 1999. I got to know them all and ended up travelling and sketching on the road with them after asking if I could sketch from the wings at a Llandudno outdoor gig the following year. "I ended up moving to London to caretake Jools's recording studio for a spell, meeting other Welsh greats such as Stereophonics and Tom Jones, and I was lucky enough to sketch at some of the later shows." Thousands of fans descended on Dyserth on Thursday, May 29 for Mike's funeral which was held at Parish Church of St Bridget and St Cwyfan. A large screen was set up outside the church. The funeral, broadcast on The Alarm's YouTube, has been watched by more than 100,000 people. Mike died aged 66 on April 29 from blood cancer. The musician was first diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) at the age of 36. Anyone interested in purchasing a print of the painting can contact info@ Readers can also search Gigsketch Art on Facebook and Instagram @gigsketch_art
Graziadaily
5 days ago
- Graziadaily
Love Island Shake Up: New Rules As Execs Admit Show Has Got 'Boring'
Love Island is finally back on our screens for the summer, and if that's not exciting enough, the hit reality show celebrates its 10th birthday this year. Yep, it really has been ten years of watching glamorous singles live it up in the sun while trying to find love, and the Love Island season 12 cast certainly looks set to bring all the drama. Any show turning ten means it must have a pretty tried and tested formula. The downside of this is that it can end up becoming a bit repetitive, especially if, like us, you've avidly followed the show since it first aired. But fear not, because this year the rulebook is set to be shaken up with producers teasing a whole host of new twist and turns to keep us entertained. Speaking ahead of show's launch, Creative Director of the show Mike Spencer-Hayler, told the Mail they've had to 'tear up the rule book' this year, after viewing figures have dwindled after years of tame series of the reality show hit. 'We've seen the same things time and time again now and it's boring. We've got to move on. It felt static, and the show needs to feel fresh. People that come in, all do the same thing. Because they've all watched it time and time again. It became too formatted.' So what's in store for season 12? One of the key changes for season 12 is to do with the infamous hideaway. Mike told The Mail that ITV will broadcast intimate moments if and when they happen. This takes the show back to the early days when steamy scenes were common. This all changed in 2020 Ian Stirling confirmed that bosses had decided to censor sex scenes. 'The hideaway is open for business for 24 hours all the time, as long as they don't come with their partner,' Mike told the outlet. He also told The Mail that the villa is equipped with a new trampoline bed that 'would be good for throuples.' He continued: 'It can take the weight of four, we've checked. It's all about keeping the show fresh and exciting. And that's what we've got.' In last year's attempt to shake things up, former TOWIE star Joey Essex entered the villa. This year, Mike said we can't expect the same twist, but he teased there will be a different surprise. 'No former love islanders are coming in this year,' he said. Something big is coming in week one though. Not another reality star like Joey Essex. We've got a big week one planned. It's not a celebrity, but totally new.' Talking to The Sun, Mike seemed to hint that the Islanders could be faced with their exes: 'Do you know what I always say, the cast get released and then the ex's come forward. And that's how you get the bombshells.' There's even been some renovations to the villa itself in order to amp up the drama. Mike told The Mail the producers have shortened the walls of the terrace, which as any viewer will know, is a hotspot for spying on crushes and bombshells looking to couple up. 'The terrace walls are shorter and more see through now too. So you can see more up there. We just felt like it was too covered up. Extra gossip,' he said. It's no secret that the contestants are cooped up in the villa pretty much 24/7, meaning they do absolutely everything there. This is why one of the questions that's been asked many times is - why don't we ever see people eat proper meals? In previous seasons, we've only really seen the islanders snack or prepare their breakfasts in the outdoor kitchen. The contestants have their meals cooked for them by private chefs. ITV has confirmed they don't show contents eating because it's their downtime from having the cameras on them 24/7. They also said meals aren't filmed for technical reasons, like the sounds of eating with microphones. However, for season 12 the contestants will be shown eating meals for the first time ever. 'In this day and age, we need to be showing it,' said Mike. 'Viewers always ask us where and when the islanders eat lunch and dinner. Well this year you'll see it on camera now.' This could lead to even more good TV, as Mike admitted that sometimes juicy conversations come up between the islanders at mealtimes. 'There are chats that do happen whilst they eat,' he said. 'It might feature, it might not when it comes to the final edit, but there is a lot of whispering and there always has been. Sometimes it will affect how they might know information, because the viewer hasn't seen it. Now they will see it.'
