Footage of Terry Hall’s final concert with The Specials has been shared by fans following the sad news of the singer’s death this week.
Last night (December 19), Coventry band 2 Tone announced the death of their frontman at the age of 63.
Via social networks, the ska icons confirmed that the influential singer died of a “short illness”, paying tribute to him as “a great friend, brother and one of the most outstanding singers, composers and lyricists in this country”.
“Terry was a wonderful husband and father and one of the kindest, funniest and most loyal souls,” the band said, calling him “one of the brightest singers and songwriters to ever grace this country ever.”
“His music and performances captured the essence of life… joy, pain, humor, the fight for justice, but especially love.”
The band’s last show with Hall was at the Beautiful Days Festival in Ottery St. Mary in Devon on 20 August this year.
See images from the show below, including performances of iconic hits like ‘Ghost Town,’ ‘Too Much Too Young,’ ‘A Message To You Rudy,’ and ‘Do Nothing.’
Hall was born in Coventry on March 19, 1959, and before his musical emergence, he suffered a troubled childhood: as he detailed to NME in 2019, he was kidnapped by a pedophile ring in France at the age of 12 (in 1971) , and the experience that led him to develop an addiction to Valium.
At the age of 15, he left school and began working in bricklaying and hairdressing before becoming involved in Coventry’s music scene in the late 1970s.
Hall remained active with The Specials until this year, with their last show together at Beautiful Days. The band’s last release with Hall was the compilation ‘Protest Songs 1924-2012’, which came out last September.
Among those who paid tribute to Hall was his former bandmate in the Specials, Neville Staple, who wrote in a tweet: “So saddened to learn of Terry Hall’s passing on Sunday. Called [Christine ‘Sugary’ Staple] when we arrived in Egypt.
“We knew Terry was ill, but we didn’t realize how serious it was until recently. We had confirmed joint music deals for 2023. This upset me.”
Other notable figures who have shared a tribute include Sleaford Mods, comedian Phil Jupitus, iconic photographer Kevin Cummins, Cass Browne Senseless Things, Billy Bragg, The Libertines (with whom he produced “Gangsters” last August) and many others. Here you can see all the tributes to Terry Hall.
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