Terry Hall, the lead singer of The Specials, a British ska revival band, died at the age of 63.
Hall died on Monday following a “short illness,” according to a statement posted on The Special’s Instagram page.
“We regret to inform you that Terry passed away following a brief illness. Terry was a wonderful friend, brother, and one of our country’s greatest lyricists, vocalists, and songwriters. Terry was a wonderful parent and husband, as well as one of the nicest, funniest, and most genuine individuals you could ever meet,” the statement began.
“His performances and music reflected the very center of life—the happiness, the pain, the humor, the struggle for justice, but most of all, the love. Everyone who knew and loved him will miss him terribly, and he leaves behind the gifts of his wonderful music and true humanity. Terry typically repeated the words “Love Love Love” before fleeing the stage at the end of The Specials’ uplifting performances.”
“At this incredibly difficult time, we would ask that everyone respect the family’s privacy,” the statement said.
Hall created The Specials in 1977 and served as their lead vocalist until 1981, according to Rolling Stone. He later rejoined them for a reunion in 2008 and remained with them till his death.
Encore, the group’s most recent release, was released in 2019. Later, he opened up about the pandemic’s effect on his mental health and how it put a halt to the band’s comeback.
In 2021, Hall told The Quietus that “the arrival of the pandemic had a profound influence on me.” “I spent about three months trying to figure out what was going on. I couldn’t even think of a single word. Throughout that time, I tried to figure out how to survive.”
According to The Quietus, he then decided to record Protest Songs 1924-2012, an album of cover songs inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, with the band and release it in October 2021.
“Ghost Town,” “Gangsters,” and “Too Much Too Young” were their biggest hits at the time.
In addition, after leaving The Specials in 1981, Hall co-founded the bands Colourfield and Fun Boy Three with Neville Staple and Lynval Golding. He later played in the bands Terry, Blair, Anouchka, and Vegas, according to NME.
Jane Wiedlin, with whom Hall had a personal relationship and collaborated, paid tribute to Hall and expressed her regret at his death online.
“He was a lovely, sensitive, gifted, and one-of-a-kind individual. Our Lips Are Sealed, a song inspired by our incredibly brief love, will forever connect the two of us through music. I’m very sad to hear this,” she continued.
Hall is survived by his director wife Lindy Heymann and his three sons, two of whom he shares with his ex-wife Jeannette Hall, according to the BBC.
