‘Always Something There to Remind Me’ singer Pete Byrne dies at 74

Pete Byrne, the British vocalist who fronted 1980s synth-pop duo Naked Eyes, has died in Los Angeles at age 74.

A death announcement said Mr. Byrne “died peacefully in Los Angeles on Monday, Sept. 14, after a brief illness,” according to Ultimate Classic Rock.

Mr. Byrne founded Naked Eyes in 1982 with keyboardist Rob Fisher, a college friend from Bath, England. The duo’s debut album was released in the United Kingdom as “Burning Bridges,” reaching No. 32 on the Billboard 200, but was reconfigured with a different track listing and released in the U.S. and Canada as a self-titled record, “Naked Eyes.” Its synth-pop cover of the Burt Bacharach and Hal David standard “Always Something There to Remind Me” became the band’s signature hit, peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983.

Three more singles followed the same year and the next: “Promises, Promises” reached No. 11, “When the Lights Go Out” hit No. 37, and “(What) In the Name of Love” peaked at No. 39 in 1984. The band broke up later that year without ever touring behind the music.

Before Naked Eyes, Mr. Byrne and Fisher had played together in the short-lived group Neon, alongside Neil Taylor, Manny Elias, Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal — the latter two of whom went on to form Tears for Fears.

Fisher died in 1999 from complications following surgery. Mr. Byrne released a solo album, “The Real Illusion,” in 2001 before reforming Naked Eyes in 2005 with a new lineup, releasing two more albums, “Fumbling with the Covers” in 2007 and “Disguise the Limit” in 2021, along with a 2025 remaster of the band’s original self-titled album.

Mr. Byrne also sang backing vocals on Stevie Wonder’s 1985 hit “Part-Time Lover” and wrote music for film, television and the Olsen twins.

The death announcement listed his survivors as siblings Eileen, Sandy, Carol and Steve; three children, Merlin, Dylan and Chloe; and his ex-wife, Elena.