Tuesday, 20 December 2022

Terry Hall of The Specials dies aged 63

 

Terry Hall, the frontman of socially conscious ska band The Specials, has died at the age of 63.

Known for his dour image and sharp wit, the singer found fame in the 1970s and 80s with hits like Ghost Town, Gangsters and Too Much Too Young.

He left The Specials in 1981 to form Fun Boy Three with fellow-bandmates Neville Staple and Lynval Golding, scoring another run of hits.

The singer died after a brief illness, The Specials said in a statement.

"Terry was a wonderful husband and father and one of the kindest, funniest, and most genuine of souls," they wrote.

"His music and his performances encapsulated the very essence of life… the joy, the pain, the humour, the fight for justice, but mostly the love.

"He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him and leaves behind the gift of his remarkable music and profound humanity."

In a separate message, Staple told the BBC he had learned of his friend's passing as he landed in Egypt for a holiday with his wife.

"It's really hit me hard," he said. "We fronted The Specials and Fun Boy Three together, making history.

"Terry, he surely will be missed."

Jane Wiedlin, co-founder of band The Go Gos who co-wrote the band's hit Our Lips Are Sealed with Hall, said he was a "lovely, sensitive, talented and unique person".

"Our extremely brief romance resulted in the song Our Lips Are Sealed, which will forever tie us together in music history."

Singer Elvis Costello described Hall's voice as "the perfect instrument for the true and necessary songs on The Specials".

"That honesty is heard in so many of his songs in joy and sorrow," he said.

The band asked for respect for Hall's family's privacy. No cause of death was shared.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64029430

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