Terry Hall, lead singer of The Specials, dead at 63

Terry Hall, lead singer of the English ska band The Specials, has died. He was 63.

His band members tweeted the news on Monday and said that Hall died after an unspecified brief illness.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing, following a brief illness, of Terry, our beautiful friend, brother and one of the most brilliant singers, songwriters and lyricists this country has ever produced,” the band wrote.

“Terry was a wonderful husband and father and one of the kindest, funniest, and most genuine of souls. 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. Terry often left the stage at the end of The Specials’ life-affirming shows with three words… ‘Love Love Love’.”

Hall joined The Specials — then named the Automatics — in 1977, according to The Guardian. The band’s hits include “Gangsters” and “Ghost Town” — the latter of which saw commercial success, which is something Hall would later say that he was uncomfortable with.

The band broke up after becoming mainstream in 1981 but Hall would go on to play with Specials bandmates Lynval Golding and Neville Staple in the group Fun Boy Three, as well as the Colourfield.

The Specials reunited from 1993 to 1998, but without Hall. He did, however, join them for the band’s 30th-anniversary tour in 2009.

Their latest record, “Protest Songs 1924-2012,” was released in 2021.

Hall is survived by his wife, Lindy Heymann, his son with Heymann and two older sons with his ex-wife, Jeanette Hall.