The Alarm frontman Mike Peters has died from blood cancer aged 66 following an almost three decade battle with the disease.

The musician was first diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) more than 29 years ago, aged 36, and had recently been undergoing treatment at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester.

His death was announced by a spokeswoman for the charity he co-founded with his wife. Peters leaves his wife Jules, 58, and two sons, Dylan, 20, and Evan, 18.

It comes just over a year after Peters, who supported U2 and Status Quo on tour and played with Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, was forced to cancel a US tour after being diagnosed with fast-growing lymphoma.

In April 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.

Doctors quickly realised the rock star had developed Richter’s syndrome, where CLL changes into a much more aggressive lymphoma.

The artist first rose to prominence in the early 1980s with The Alarm, with hits including 68 Guns and Strength.

Peters was awarded an MBE for services to cancer charities in 2019 after he and his wife co-founded Love Hope Strength, a cancer charity to encourage action around stem cell donation.