Classic Rock
Peter Byrne, Naked Eyes Singer, Dies at 74
Sep
Peter Byrne, the singer of the 1980s synth-pop duo Naked Eyes, has died at age 74.
A press release announcing his death states that Byrne “died peacefully in Los Angeles on Monday, Sept. 14, after a brief illness.”
According to Setlist.fm, Naked Eyes last performed on June 6, 2026, as part of the Totally ’80s Pool Party in Las Vegas.
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Keyboardist Rob Fisher, with whom Byrne formed Naked Eyes in Somerset, England, in 1982, died in 1999 at the age of 42 after surgery for cancer.
Watch the Video for Naked Eyes’ ‘Always Something There to Remind Me’
Both Byrne and Fisher were in an earlier band called Neon that included Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, who would later form Tears for Fears.
What Songs Did Peter Byrne and Naked Eyes Perform?
Naked Eyes scored their first hit in 1983 with a synth-pop cover of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “Always Something There to Remind Me,” which reached No. 8.
Watch the Video for Naked Eyes’ ‘Promises, Promises’
The duo’s radio-ready new wave received a boost from MTV, which launched not long before the band’s formation in 1982.
Built on the success of “Always Something There to Remind Me,” the band’s second U.S. single, “Promises, Promises,” reached No. 11 in the summer of 1983.
They placed two more singles on the Billboard chart — “When the Lights Go Out,” a No. 37 hit in 1983, and “(What) In the Name of Love,” No. 39 in 1984 — before breaking up later in 1984.
Naked Eyes with Byrne and Fisher released two albums: Burning Bridges (1983) and Fuel for the Fire (1984). Byrne reformed the group in 2006, releasing two more LPs and touring with a new Naked Eyes lineup.
Byrne later provided backing vocals on Stevie Wonder‘s 1985 hit “Part-Time Lover.” He also became a session musician and songwriter, composing songs for film and television. He also worked on the Olsen Twins’ 1993 project Our First Video, writing the song “I Am the Cute One.”
He also released a solo album, The Real Illusion, in 2001.
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