Terry Hall dead latest: Cause of death revealed as fans of The Specials all say the same thing
THE Specials' lead singer Terry Hall has been remembered for his "remarkable music" following his death at the age of 63 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Hall’s bandmate Horace Panter took to Facebook to reveal the cause of the Ska icon’s death, as he hailed his "unique voice."
The post claims the singer had wanted to keep his illness a secret before he passed away on Sunday evening.
In a poignant tribute, one fan wrote: “One of THE greatest British music artists. An iconic and utterly individual frontman with THAT voice . This cuts so hard.”
A second said: ''Terry Hall was the voice of a musical revolution. Such an important person in music. I own so many records featuring him. I am really upset to hear he’s left us. Going to listen to Man at C&A now. RIP Sir. Thank you for the music.''
Read our Terry Hall live blog below for the latest tributes...
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Our live blog looking back on the life and achievements of Terry Hall is now closed.
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Terry Hall opens up about mental illness
In 2019 Terry Hall spoke with Mary Anne Hobbs on BBC Radio 6 Music about his mental health struggles.
Hall said: “I didn’t realise I was spending the first 50 years of my life in this bubble called depression, and people told me about it but I had no idea what I was doing.
“And then 10 years ago I had to get attention because of an incident and I found a doctor and she’s got me out of this bubble and said, ‘You know, you’ve got an illness but we can deal with it.’
“And so the last at least five years have been unbelievably brilliant and [I’ve been] appreciating things on a different level which I never thought I would.
“Like, really simple things. On the way here, I saw a folding bike and that has made my day – that you can fold a bike to that size. It’s like origami. If I get one thing like that every day then I’m so happy. So happy.”
Credit: PA In pictures: Coventry pays tribute to Terry Hall
On Wednesday evening, at the Coventry Building Society Arena, football fans paid tribute to the late Terry Hall.
Terry was born in Coventry and his local football club honoured the singer as they played West Brom.
“Hello, I’m Terry and I’m going to enjoy myself first,” the message of tribute read.
In pictures: Coventry pay tribute to Terry Hall
A number of poignant tributes to Terry Hall have been placed in and around The Special stars home town.
Terry Hall spoke candidly about his mental health
During the release of The Special’s penultimate project “Encore”, Terry opened up about his struggles with mental health.
“I was only given a proper bipolar diagnosis relatively recently,” he admitted. “And I still suffer every day.
“From the age of 12, I knew something was not quite right and people around me recognised that too.”
With remarkable candour, he added: “There was a series of incidents, breakdowns over the next 30 odd years.
“But the last one was very serious and demanded that I seek medical attention.”
Terry believed many of his struggles were rooted in his horrific abduction aged just 12.
Skepta sends condolences to Terry’s family in a poignant tribute
Rapper Skepta has sent his condolences to both Terry’s family and The Specials in a heartfelt Instagram post.
Taking to his Instagram story, Skepta shared a picture of Terry and wrote: ”Never got to meet you, my head is high as a British African because of people like you.
”So I’ll continue to wear my 2 tone neck tattoo with pride.
”Love and respect the Special, Terry Hall. Condolences to the family.”
Skepta then shared with fans a snap of what he was listening to at the time – Ghost Town, by none other than The Specials.
Liam Gallagher pays tribute to Terry Hall
Taking to Twitter today, Oasis legend Liam Gallagher paid tribute to Terry Hall in a short but poignant tweet.
He wrote: ”RIP TERRY HALL LG x.”
Terry Hall’s troubled life: addiction, child abuse and suicide attempts
Terry Hall revealed the decades of turmoil he suffered following being kidnapped by a paedophile ring at the age of 12.
On Richard Herring’s Leicester Square podcast in 2019, Hall said: “At 12 I got abducted by a paedophile ring in France and that was a real eye-opener.
“And I can laugh about it now but it sort of switched something in my head and it’s like I don’t have to do that and that’s when I started like not listening to anyone.”
After the horrendous torment he suffered, Terry was prescribed Valium at 13 years of age and stopped attending school.
He told the Spectator: “I was addicted to Valium. Which meant I didn’t go to school. I didn’t do anything. I just sat on my bed rocking for eight months.”
Following being abducted by his French teacher, Hall went on to suffer from depression, drug and alcohol addiction, and even attempted to take his own life.
His failed suicide attempt to in 2004 led to him being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Terry Hall talked politics in 2019
Terry Hall was well known for his political stances and activism.
Hall told The Big Issue magazine in 2019: “I find myself in awe of the mess, nightly listening to politicians giving their opinion and thinking, I don’t necessarily trust any of you, really.
“It is pretty sad. I grew up aligned to a party, the Labour Party, quite strongly. Until Tony Blair made Noel Gallagher prime minister I knew exactly where I stood.”
Hacienda’s Dave Haslam pays tribute to all-time great Terry Hall
Former Hacienda DJ and music author Dave Haslam has paid tribute to all-time great Terry Hall.
Haslam said: “Terry Hall. One of the all time greats of British music & an icon for a generation. He was unique, deep, funny.
The man who buried for me that cliche “don’t meet your heroes”. I had some wonderful times with Terry. Loved him. It’s that simple. Gutted.”
He added: “He was a hairdresser for a week and a failed bricklayer. A massive MUFC fan. A committed anti-racist and an advocate for mental health causes.
“An incredible frontman, and a brilliant songwriter. He was unique, funny, deep, and one of the all-time greats of British music…
“I’ve missed something off Terry’s CV. In one interview we did he told me “I had a day, well not a day, more like seventeen minutes as a quantity surveyor. It was freezing and he said “Take your hands out of your pocket” and I was like “F**k you” and that was the end of my job.”
Marc Riley sends condolences to Terry Hall’s family after ‘particularly cruel year’
BBC Radio 6 Music DJ Marc Riley, formerly a member of alt-rock band The Fall, has sent his condolences to Terry Hall’s family following his passing at the age of 63 on Sunday following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Riley said: “2022 has been a particularly cruel year.
“So many brilliant people taken from us.
“TERRY HALL R.I.P.
“Thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Terry Hall’s call for equality
Terry Hall was known for his support for equality through both music and activism.
He said: “The bottom line is, respect each other, and love each other.
“It’s a bit idealistic, but it’s all that there is.”
Terry Hall on his childhood in Coventry
In 2014 Terry Hall opened up about his childhood in Coventry.
When asked “What were you like as a kid?” in an interview with MOJO, Hall said: “Being a manic depressive, in Coventry?
“I went in and out of being a loner and not a loner, knocking about with older kids, and it was total boredom and getting into trouble.
“At school, we had coppers on the gate to make sure we didn’t get out. Your life was mapped out – everyone worked in car factories.
“The idea of actually breaking away from that was just sort of impossible.
“You had to dumb down, a lot, to get on. I first got put on valium when I was like, 13.”
The Special’s most popular songs
Here are just a few of the iconic Sca band’s hits.
- A message to you, Rudy
- Ghost Town
- Gangsters
- Too Much Too Young
- Friday Night, Saturday Morning
- Nelson Mandela
Fans continue to pay heartfelt tributes to Terry Hall
Fans of The Specials star are continuing to pay their respects and send their heartfelt condolences to his loved ones.
One fan wrote: ''I just want Terry’s family to know what a difference he made to his generation. He opened our eyes to injustice and made us want to fight it! Never a more aptly named band, they truly were special. RIP x.''
A second said: ''Terry Hall brought so much joy and unity to the world #RIPTerryHall.''
Terry Hall’s last song
A song co-written by Terry Hall and Ian Broudie was The Specials frontman’s last recorded song.
The song, Emily Smiles, was released in October and featured on The Lightening Seeds’ latest album See You in the Stars.
The lyrics embody much of what Hall stood for: “Just reaching out, are you OK?/Time is tight, life’s a fight/Now’s the time, get it right/People laughing, people crying/Can’t you see we’re really trying?/So goodbye to sorrow… Say hello to tomorrow.”
Terry Hall on Specials rivalry with Madness
In the late 1970s and early ’80s The Specials and Madness were on the same record label, 2-Tone, as well as being fierce adversaries.
Speaking with NME in 2019 after the release of their chart-topping third album Encore, Hall said: “I always liked the bit of rivalry between us and Madness, it always felt quite good.”
When asked who came out on top, Terry joked: “We got to Number One with ‘Ghost Town’, they got a Number One with a comedy record…”
Terry Hall opens up about mental illness
In 2019 Terry Hall spoke with Mary Anne Hobbs on BBC Radio 6 Music about his mental health struggles.
Hall said: “I didn’t realise I was spending the first 50 years of my life in this bubble called depression, and people told me about it but I had no idea what I was doing.
“And then 10 years ago I had to get attention because of an incident and I found a doctor and she’s got me out of this bubble and said, ‘You know, you’ve got an illness but we can deal with it.’
“And so the last at least five years have been unbelievably brilliant and [I’ve been] appreciating things on a different level which I never thought I would.
“Like, really simple things. On the way here, I saw a folding bike and that has made my day – that you can fold a bike to that size. It’s like origami. If I get one thing like that every day then I’m so happy. So happy.”
Coventry residents call for a permanent tribute to Terry hall in the heart of the city
Residents in Coventry have called for a permanent tribute to Terry Hall, which they say should be erected in the heart of the city, Coventry Live reports.
Manager of HMV Empire, Phil Rooney also said there should be a statue erected in memory of Hall.
He told the BBC: “Terry was a very important part of Coventry's music history, world music history possibly.
“I think we genuinely need to have a Specials day in Coventry, they have one in LA.”
Shane McGowan expresses sorrow at passing of Terry Hall
Pogues frontman Shane McGowan shared his sorrow following the death of Terry Hall and said he is praying for his friends and family.
Hall passed away on Sunday aged 63 following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
McGowan tweeted: "Really f***ing sad to hear about Terry Hall, he was a great guy and I am praying for his family and friends @thespecials"
The Blockheads post tribute to Terry Hall
The Blockheads have posted a song in tribute to Terry Hall.
The English rock band said Gangsters was one of The Specials "very vest" [sic], but clearly meant best.
Hall passed away on Monday aged 63 following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Terry Hall: Hotel receptions killed the band
Speaking with MOJO in 2014, Terry Hall was asked why the band split after two iconic albums.
Hall said: "We got on OK… but because there were seven members, you’d drift into different little camps and they’d change, all the time.
"When you started travelling abroad that’s when it became really difficult because you were stuck with each other.
“Tiny little things like waiting in a hotel reception at nine o’clock to leave at 9.15 become f****** big issues when it’s 9.20.
"That’s what killed the band originally – hotel receptions, seriously.
"Was I a bit of a headache? Not a bit. [Pause] Yeah. I could be an idiot, but I dunno… it got to the stage where we couldn’t even travel together."
Rianne Downey covers You’re Wondering Now in Terry Hall tribute
Scottish singer-songwriter Rianne Downey shared a cover of You’re Wondering Now in tribute to Terry Hall.
Downey tweeted: "The Specials - You’re Wondering Now"
"Rest Easy Terry Hall.
"Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think"
Terry Hall on his childhood in Coventry
In 2014 Terry Hall opened up about his childhood in Coventry.
When asked “What were you like as a kid?” in an interview with MOJO, Hall said: “Being a manic depressive, in Coventry?
“I went in and out of being a loner and not a loner, knocking about with older kids, and it was total boredom and getting into trouble.
“At school, we had coppers on the gate to make sure we didn’t get out. Your life was mapped out – everyone worked in car factories.
“The idea of actually breaking away from that was just sort of impossible.
“You had to dumb down, a lot, to get on. I first got put on valium when I was like, 13.”
Saffiya Khan on Midlands pride for The Specials
Model and activist Saffiya Khan came to the attention of The Specials when she was famously photographed standing up to a ranting EDL racist while wearing a Specials T-shirt in 2017.
Khan went on to write a song and tour with the band in 2019.
Speaking with NME, she said: “It’s one of the first bands that I found who kept true to their roots and were openly not grey zone.
“A lot of bands couldn’t care less who their fans are or what people they attract, but The Specials were always very clear about where they stand and what they stand for.
“There’s a lot of pride for them in the Midlands.”
Terry Hall said of the snapshot: “It was a lovely photo because Saffiyah has got this really good smirk, and that just nullified the guy’s argument totally.
“It made what he stood for seem pathetic, and that’s often a really good response.”
Credit: PA:Press Association
