More than 30 years after being first identified with leukaemia at the age of 36, rock legend Mike Peters, who was the frontman of the Welsh band The Alarm, passed away on April 29 from blood cancer.
On Thursday, friends, family, and Mike Peters fans are expected to gather in Wales for his funeral. The musician, 66, passed away at the age of 66. The Welsh band The Alarm’s frontman, who was 36 years old when he was first identified with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), died on April 29 from blood cancer.
More than 150 people from the US, including Peters’ wife Jules, 58, and their sons Dylan, 21, and Evan, 18, will attend the funeral service in the village of Dyserth. For the service, which will feature readings and musical performances, Dylan and Evan are expected to bring a casket containing their father’s ashes to the parish of St. Bridget and St. Cwyfan.
As those who have seen Stand By Me will hear Peters’ sons play guitar before Welsh TV presenter and opera singer Rhys Meirion, who is also receiving cancer, performs Anfonaf Angel. Evan’s rendition of Wonderwall and Peters’ long-time friend and collaborator Billy Duffy of The Cult will also be performed.
Rhun ap Iorwerth, the leader of the Plaid Cymru, will address Peters’ contributions to Welsh culture, and Dafydd Iwan, a singer and activist, will give Yma o Hyd. Fans who intend to attend the service are expected to be able to watch it on a large screen outside the church.
Jules Peters stated in a statement that “Mike lived as he sang with passion, courage, and an unwavering belief in the power of people to change.” His message and music will never be lost despite his still-voiced voice. Mike and his family have been so touched by the love that so many people have shown him throughout his life, and we are so touched by the outpouring of love that has come his way. Mike’s music and the community he built for all of us will sustain us, according to Mike. Although today is a depressing day, it also honors both his life and the legacy he left behind. Mike is very spirit-driven and here.
The parish priest at St. Bridget and St. Cwyfan said it was an honor and privilege to lead the service in the village that Mike so cherished.
He said, “A man’s celebration that we have carefully selected befits a man whose life was marked by music, resilience, and unwavering hope. “Mike remained true to his Welsh roots, but he gained international fame, and the people who celebrate his life today, many of whom travel thousands of miles, reflect the extraordinary life he carved out for himself and his family,” he said.
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.
Source: Mirror
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