LOS ANGELES: Peter Byrne, the British singer who helped define the sound of 1980s new wave as half of the duo Naked Eyes, has died at 74 after a brief illness, according to an announcement on the band’s website.
Byrne died peacefully Sept. 14 in Los Angeles. Born in Islington, North London, in June 1952, he co-founded Naked Eyes with longtime friend Rob Fisher in 1982 after the pair had previously performed with Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal in the band Neon.
Naked Eyes quickly gained attention with its debut album, released in the United Kingdom as Burning Bridges and in the United States under the band’s name. The album reached No. 32 on the Billboard 200.
The duo’s breakthrough came with “Always Something There to Remind Me,” which climbed to No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was a cover of the 1963 composition written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for Dionne Warwick.
Their second major hit, “Promises, Promises,” reached No. 11 on the Hot 100.
The duo followed with its second album, Fuel for the Fire, in 1984. It produced two additional charting singles, “When the Lights Go Out” and “(What) In the Name of Love.”
Beyond Naked Eyes, Byrne contributed backing vocals to Stevie Wonder’s “Part-Time Lover” and continued writing music for film and television.
After Fisher died in 1999, Byrne pursued a solo career and released several albums. He remained connected to the Naked Eyes legacy, with a remastered edition of Burning Bridges released in 2025.
Byrne is survived by his children, Merlin, Dylan and Chloe; his siblings, Eileen, Sandy, Carol and Steve; and his former wife, Elena.
