Funeral of Mike Peters taking place today with heartbreaking tributes to The Alarm singer

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.

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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 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.