80s Music Star Pete Byrne Dead

Pete Byrne, the voice of the British new wave duo Naked Eyes, died in Los Angeles on September 14 after a brief illness. He was 74.

Variety reported that Byrne and college friend Rob Fisher formed Naked Eyes in 1982. Their debut album, “Burning Bridges,” reached No. 32 on the Billboard 200. The pair scored four Billboard Hot 100 top-40 hits across two studio albums in 1983 and 1984.

The songs that carried them were “Always Something There to Remind Me,” a Burt Bacharach and Hal David cover, plus “Promises, Promises,” “When the Lights Go Out,” and “(What) In the Name of Love.” The group did not tour in that first run and split after the second album.

Byrne also sang backing vocals on Stevie Wonder’s 1985 hit “Part-Time Lover” and wrote for film, television, and the Olsen twins. After Fisher died in 1999, Byrne kept recording and later took Naked Eyes back on the road.

He released the solo album “The Real Illusion” in 2001 and rebuilt the live band in 2005. Later Naked Eyes releases included “Fumbling with the Covers” in 2007, “Disguise the Limit” in 2021, and a 2025 remaster of the original self-titled album.

His path to that brief chart run started in North London. He worked with Jeff Starrs in the mid-1970s, then in the band Studio, then in Neon from 1979 to 1982. Neon included Fisher and future Tears for Fears members Roland Orzabal, Curt Smith, Manny Elias, and Neil Taylor.

Peter is survived by siblings Eileen, Sandy, Carol, and Steve; children Merlin, Dylan, and Chloe; and his ex-wife, Elena.

The hits still turn up on 1980s radio and streaming playlists. The voice on those records is now a closed chapter.