The Specials singer Terry Hall dead at 63

Terry Hall, the lead singer of the influential English band The Specials, died at age 63 following a battle with a brief, undisclosed illness, the group announced.

Hall joined The Specials shortly after the band’s debut in 1977 and proved to be a pioneering figure in the era’s popular ska genre.

“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,” The Specials said late Monday in an Instagram announcement.

“He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him and leaves behind the gift of his remarkable music and profound humanity.”

Hall and The Specials churned out seven top 10 songs in the U.K. between 1979 and 1981, including the No. 1 hits “Too Much Too Young” and “Ghost Town.”

The band released two successful albums during that stretch, including their 1979 debut “The Specials,” which the music magazine NME included among its top 500 albums of all time in 2013.

Hall left The Specials in 1981 and helped launch the band The Colourfield three years later. He also worked with artists Dave Stewart, Lily Allen, The Gorillaz and D12 during his career, and co-wrote The Go-Go’s debut song, “Our Lips Are Sealed.”

Hall reunited with The Specials in 2008 and performed on the band’s most recent two albums: 2019′s “Encore” and last year’s “Protest Songs 1924–2012.”

In their announcement of Hall’s death, the surviving members of the band described Hall as “one of the most brilliant singers, songwriters and lyricists this country has ever produced.”

With News Wire Services