Latest news with #JulesPeters
The Independent
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Fans to join family and friends of musician Mike Peters at his funeral in Wales
Friends, family and fans of musician Mike Peters, who died at the age of 66, are expected to gather in Wales for his funeral on Thursday. The rock star, who was frontman of Welsh band The Alarm, died on April 29 from blood cancer, more than 30 years after he was first diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) at the age of 36. More than 150 guests, some who have travelled from the US, will attend the funeral service in the village of Dyserth alongside Peters' wife Jules, 58, and their sons Dylan, 21, and Evan, 18. Dylan and Evan are expected to carry a casket containing their father's ashes to the Parish Church of St Bridget and St Cwyfan for the service, which will feature readings and musical performances. Peters' sons are expected to play guitar as those in attendance since Stand By Me, before Welsh TV presenter and opera singer Rhys Meirion, who is himself being treated for cancer, performs Anfonaf Angel. There will also be performances of Wonderwall, by Evan, and Fade In Fade Out Fade Away by Peters' longtime friend and collaborator Billy Duffy of The Cult. Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth will speak of Peters' contributions to Welsh culture, and Welsh singer and campaigner Dafydd Iwan will perform Yma o Hyd. The service is expected to be broadcast on a big screen outside the church for fans who are planning to attend. In a statement, Jules Peters said: 'Mike lived as he sang – with passion, courage, and an unshakeable belief in the power of people to make a difference. His voice may be still, but his message and music will never fade. 'Mike was so grateful for the love so many people showed him in his lifetime, and we are so grateful for the outpouring of love our family has received in the past few weeks since he died. 'Mike's music will keep us strong, and the community he built for all of us will sustain us. 'Today is a sad day, but it's also a celebration of his life and the legacy he created. Mike is very much here in spirit.' Reverend Gregor Lachlann-Waddell, the vicar at the Parish Church of St Bridget and St Cwyfan, said it was an 'honour and a privilege' to lead the service in the village 'Mike loved so much'. He said: 'The celebration we have carefully curated befits a man whose life was marked by music, resilience, and unwavering hope. 'While staying true to his Welsh roots, Mike found global fame, and the people who have come to celebrate his life today, many travelling thousands of miles, are reflective of the remarkable life he carved for himself and his family.' Peters, who supported U2 and Status Quo on tour and played with Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, underwent numerous drug treatments and rounds of chemotherapy, and had tried experimental therapy to keep his cancer at bay. 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 and doctors quickly realised the star had developed Richter's syndrome, where CLL changes into a much more aggressive lymphoma. He had been undergoing treatment at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester before his death. The artist first rose to prominence in the early 1980s with The Alarm, with hits including 68 Guns and Strength. He was made an MBE in 2019 for voluntary services to cancer care in north Wales and abroad. Alongside his wife, he co-founded Love Hope Strength, a cancer charity to encourage action around stem cell donation. Through its Get On The List campaigns, often publicised at rock concerts, the charity has added more than 250,000 people to stem cell registers worldwide.
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The Alarm: Mike Peters' wife says funeral will 'be like a festival'
Thousands of fans are expected to gather in Denbighshire for the funeral of The Alarm's Mike musician and charity fundraiser died last month aged 66 after living with cancer for 30 years, following his diagnosis of lymphoma in 1995 and later having chronic lymphocytic leukaemia service, which will feature performances from musicians including Billy Duffy of The Cult, is being held in Peters' home village of Dyserth near Prestatyn on widow Jules said she hoped the funeral will be "rock and roll, like a festival". Frontman of The Alarm, Peters died on 29 April after being treated for an aggressive lymphoma - his most recent illness after three decades of juggling treatment with recording and group formed in 1981, sold five million albums and had 15 Top 40 hits including 68 Guns and Rain In The Summertime. Jules said her husband had always been so determined to recover that he hadn't planned much for his funeral."I didn't like to bring it up too much in case he thought that I thought he was going to die," she said."We did have a funny conversation once when he said 'if you keep talking funerals you're really damaging my confidence here'. So I stopped." About 150 people will attend the service at the Parish Church of St Bridget and St Cwyfan and a big screen will show the service to crowds Gregor Lachlann-Waddell, vicar at the church, said: "The celebration befits a man whose life was marked by music, resilience, and unwavering hope."Peters' sons Dylan and Evan are expected to perform music as well as folk singer Dafydd Iwan and opera singer Rhys said it will be a reflection of her husband's life as a musician who performed all over the world alongside stars like Bob Dylan and Bono."It is just going to be so rock and roll, like a festival and something that will go down in history for a long time to come." She paid tribute to the fans and friends who have lent their support, shared memories and offered condolences since the star's also thanked the residents of Dyserth for their understanding as roads are closed to accommodate the funeral and mourners."I think it's befitting for the man that came from Dyserth who became the rock star, travelled all around the world and always wanted to put the village on the map," she said Peters' ashes will be buried in the churchyard across the road from the pub she runs with her sons."What I really wanted was somewhere public, where everybody could come and pay their respects for the rest of time. That's what has brought me the most happiness and he'll be able to keep an eye on us. So this is perfect."The Manic Street Preachers, Simple Minds and U2 were among the rock bands who paid tribute to Peters following his death.
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The Alarm's Mike Peters funeral in Denbighshire open to all
An open "come as you are" invite has been extended to anyone who wishes to go to the funeral of The Alarm singer Mike Peters. The front man of the Welsh rock band died last month, aged 66 after having lived with blood cancer for 30 years following his diagnosis of lymphoma in formed his band in 1981 in Rhyl, Denbighshire, out of the punk era and had a top 20 hit, Sixty Eight Guns, two years family posted on Facebook that those who could not fit inside the church could hear the service from the grounds outside. Peters' funeral will be held in the Parish Church of St Bridget and St Cwyfan in Dyserth, Denbighshire, on 29 May at 15:00 BST - but attendees are encouraged to arrive before 14: was born in Prestatyn, Denbighshire, and lived in Dyserth with his wife of 39 years, Jules and their sons Dylan, 20 and Evan, 18. Peters was first diagnosed with lymphoma in 1995, and later diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, which returned in singer became ill again in 2025, when his Richter syndrome - an aggressive form of lymphoma - returned to his roots before he died, with his wife previously saying: "We brought him home. He passed with us all by his side." Extending the open invitation to the funeral, Mrs Peters said: "There is no dress code - please wear whatever you feel most comfortable in, camo, Alarm, formal, rock'n'roll or Love Hope Strength attire. Come as you are!"It feels profoundly right that Mike's farewell will take place in Dyserth, the village where he was born and he proudly called home." Peters started the band The Toilets in Rhyl in 1977 after seeing the Sex Pistols play in various changes of line-up and name, The Alarm played their first gig in Prestatyn in 1981 before going on to sell an estimated five million records and become the first Welsh musicians since Tom Jones and Bonnie Tyler to crack America.
