Naked Eyes singer Peter Byrne has died aged 74 following a brief illness. The band said he died “peacefully” on Monday, September 14, but shared no further details about his condition.

Byrne was best known for the group’s synth-pop version of Always Something There to Remind Me, a Burt Bacharach and Hal David song that became Naked Eyes’ biggest hit. His family, including his three children, Merlin, Dylan and Chloe, plans to hold a private memorial service.

How Naked Eyes found success in the 1980s

Byrne formed Naked Eyes with keyboard player Rob Fisher in 1982. The pair quickly became associated with the early British new wave scene and were linked to Tears for Fears through their earlier connections with Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal.

Their electronic reinterpretation of Always Something There to Remind Me reached the top 10 and gave the duo the kind of signature song that can support an entire career, whether musicians ask it to or not.

Naked Eyes also placed three other singles in the top 40:

  • Promises, Promises
  • When the Lights Go Out
  • (What) In the Name of Love

The duo released two albums before splitting in 1984. Their second record, Fuel for the Fire, failed to match the commercial performance of their debut.

The original lineup never toured, meaning fans did not see Byrne and Fisher perform live together during the group’s short run. The records had to do the public-facing work instead.

What happened after the duo split

Fisher died on August 25, 1999, aged 39, following complications from surgery for bowel cancer.

Byrne largely stayed away from the spotlight for several years before releasing a solo album in 2001. In 2006, he began performing under the Naked Eyes name and released a third album featuring covers alongside versions of the band’s earlier songs.

He returned with new music in 2021, marking his first fresh material in 37 years.

Outside Naked Eyes, Byrne worked as both a songwriter and backing vocalist. He sang backing vocals on Stevie Wonder’s Part-Time Lover and wrote I Am the Cute One for Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen. The song was released in 1993, when the twins were seven years old.

Byrne’s career stretched far beyond Naked Eyes’ original two-year recording period, but the band’s compact catalogue remained central to his legacy. Few groups managed such a brief existence without touring and still left behind a song recognised more than four decades later.