TERRY HALL. Lead singer Terry Hall of British ska band The Specials has died aged 63, the band announced on social media.
[Mis à jour le 21 décembre 2022 à 13h29] He had revived ska in England: Terry Hall, singer of the group The Specials, died at 63, the formation announced on Monday December 19. According to the press release, the artist died of a “brief illness.” “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing, after a brief illness, of Terry, our wonderful friend, brother and one of the finest singers, songwriters and lyricists this country has ever produced,” the band wrote. The Specials in several messages posted on various social networks, including Twitter and Facebook.
And to add: “His music and his performances enveloped the true essence of life… the joy, the pain, the humor, the fight for justice, but above all love. He will be deeply missed by all who loved him. have known and loved and leaves behind the gift of his remarkable music and deep humanity.” The band concludes, “Terry would often leave the supper at the end of The Specials concerts with three words: Love, love, love.”
As soon as the announcement of the death of Terry Hall, the tributes were numerous on the social networks. “Sad to hear last night of the passing of Terry Hall, by Lynval Golding. Terry’s voice was the perfect instrument for true and necessary songs on The Specials. That honesty can be heard in so many of his songs, in the joy and sadness. My condolences to his family and friends”, wrote for example on Twitter Elvis Costello, who produced the group’s first album in 1979. “Terry, you were my everything. I love you”, adds de his side Damon Albarn, singer of Blur and Gorillaz.
The Libertines them, “sending love”, in the caption of a photo of Pete Doherty and Terry Hall posted on Twitter, when Lily Allen salutes “the best.”
How did Terry Hall die?
In its press release, posted Monday, December 19, 2022, the group The Specials let it be known that Terry Hall was carried away by a lightning pathology. “It is with great sadness that we announce the death, after a brief illness, of Terry”, can we read in the messages posted by the ska group on social networks.
Terry Hall affected by psychological disorders
Terry Hall was 63 years old. He did not hide the psychological disorders which affected him for years, and spoke openly of his depressive states which considerably affected him since his youth. He was also one of the active contributors to the Tonic Association, a British charity supporting the sick. In particular, he promoted an aid program and called on those in need to seek assistance.
“Those of us who have mental health issues go through trying times. My mental health deteriorated towards the end of 2020. What helped me was communication. If you are suffering, it is extremely important to talk about it. Family, friends, doctors, Tonic! Tell them to watch you. Share your health difficulties, they are not problems”, he wrote on the association’s website.
Before his death, Terry Hall had confided in a trauma, evoking an abduction during a school trip when he was 12 years old. He claims to have been sexually abused, triggering in him these psychological disorders, the taking of drugs and various addictions.
Terry Hall, lead singer of The Specials
In 1978, Terry Hall joined the group The Specials, formed the previous year by Jerry Dammers, Lynval Golding and Horace Panter. The formation is propelled from its beginnings by Joe Strummer, of the group The Clash, who invites them to ensure its first parts. In 1979, success increased tenfold with the song Gangsterwhich becomes one of the best sellers of this year.
Quickly, the group installs its style, at all levels, including clothing. The Specials bring ska back to the fore in England, keeping influences from pop, new wave and punk. In 1981, the song Ghost Town was a new commercial success, ranking for several weeks at the top of sales in the United Kingdom.
The group The Specials experienced a first break that same year, with the departure of Neville Staple, Lynval Golding and Terry Hall. Jerry Dammers continues solo and each of the members of the dissolved group collaborates with other artists, to reform several times during tours. In 2008, the group found itself, without Jerry Dammers. The Specials will return to the stage in 2014 on a tour celebrating ska.
Short biography of Terry Hall
The singer Terry Hall, Terence Edward Hall of his real name, was born on March 19, 1959. Originally from Coventry, in Warwickshire, in the west of England, he became known in the late 1970s, from first with the local punk band Squad, then with The Specials, of which he is the leader. The single Gangsters will propel their notoriety in Great Britain.
In 1984, Terry Hall, who had also been the singer of the new wave group Fun Boy Three, founded a new group, The Colourfield, in Manchester and released the album Virgins & Philistines. The artist also collaborates with many others, such as Gorrillaz, Eric Clapton, Ben Harper, Manu Chao, also Dub Pistols, or Lily Allen.
On the private side, Terry Hall had two sons, Leo and Felix, born of his relationship with Jeanette Hall, with whom he was in a relationship for two decades, before divorcing in the 1990s. He was then married to director Lindy Heymann and had another son, Orson.