LONDON – British musician Terry Hall, lead singer of The Specials, has died at the age of 63.
The musical formation announced the death of the artist on Monday evening. He said he died after a short illness.
The band described Terry Hall as “one of the most brilliant singers, songwriters and lyricists this country has ever produced”.
Members also spoke of Hall as “a wonderful husband and father and one of the kindest, funniest, most genuine souls.
“His music and performances encapsulate the very essence of life; joy, pain, humor, the fight for justice, but above all love”.
Hall joined the group that would become The Specials in the central British city of Coventry in the late 1970s, a time of racial tensions, economic gloom and urban riots.
With Hall’s deadpan vocals, The Specials captured the mood of the times in songs like “A Message to You, Rudy,” “Rat Race,” and “Too Much Too Young.”
The band’s most iconic song is “Ghost Town”, which topped the UK charts in the summer of 1981 when riots broke out in several cities across the country.
The Specials saw seven of their top 10 hits in the UK before Hall and fellow band members Neville Staple and Lynval Golding left in 1981 to form the Fun Boy Three.
Hall then formed The Colourfield and collaborated with artists such as The Go-Go’s.
Several of the original members of The Specials headlined a 30th anniversary tour in 2009. They released an album featuring new productions in 2019, and another in 2021.
