Terry Hall: lead singer of the Specials dies aged 63

The Specials, an English 2-tone and ska revival band, lost their main singer Terry Hall recently.

On the band's verified social media pages, the news of Hall's passing was announced. On Facebook, it was noted that he passed away "after a brief illness."

Hall was referred to in the article as "our beautiful friend, brother, and one of the most gifted singers, songwriters, and lyricists this country has ever produced," adding that "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."

Hall's wife, director Lindy Heymann, and sons Leo and Felix Hall survive him. He was reportedly 63 when he passed away.

The Specials gained popularity in the late 1970s and early 1980s with their debut self-titled album after forming in Coventry, England, in 1977.

Hall joined The Specials immediately after they were founded, replacing vocalist Tim Strickland, along with Jerry Dammers, Roddy "Radiation" Byers, Neville Staple, John Bradbury, Dick Cuthell, and Rico Rodriguez.

The Specials are recognised for songs like "Gangsters" and "Ghost Town," the latter of which spent 10 weeks in the Top 40 after spending three weeks at No. 1 in the UK in 1981.

The group routinely discussed politics and social reform in both England and other countries. They were also well-known for their strong resistance to racial injustice. According to the band's official website, "Forty years ago, the Specials embodied the state of the nation—seven voices as one from a typically dispossessed UK town."

Before going solo with a couple of albums in the 1990s, Hall previously formed the bands Fun Boy Three and The Colourfield, both of which had hit singles with "Thinking of You."

The Specials eventually reunited in 2008 for a tour and new music (the group had previously done so in the 1990s, but Hall was not a part of that version). Lynval Golding, Horace Panter, John Bradbury, Neville Staple, Roddy Byers, and Nikolaj Torp Larsen were among the more recent members of the Specials lineup.

The Specials' eighth studio album, "Encore," which was released in 2019, included the group's first brand-new songs with Hall on vocals since "Ghost Town" from 1981.

The final line of Monday's social media tributes to Hall described how the singer "frequently" departed the stage after The Specials' inspiring performances with the words "Love, Love, Love."