Terry Hall was diagnosed with cancer soon before his death last week at the age of 63, according to a member of his band.
Bassist Horace Panter provided an emotional description of his friend’s dying days, revealing that they had intended to record a new album in November before Hall became unwell with a suspected stomach virus.
He was then diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that had spread to his liver.
Initial treatment was successful, but Hall began to decline in December, according to Panter.
“The reports are not favorable,” he wrote. “Terry has lost significant weight and is now extremely fragile.
“His friend Ian Broudie [of The Lightning Seeds] visits and calls Steve, the manager. He is concerned that Terry is losing ground.”
He proceeded: “On the 15th of December, manager Steve drives to London to pay a visit. On his return trip, he phones me to inform me that things are not looking well. Terry is passing away. The following day, he is administered morphine and is comatose for the majority of the time.”
Panter stated he had intended to see his friend in the hospital, but Hall’s wife Lindy dissuaded him and arranged the last phone call.
“It was difficult,” Panter stated. “Terry died around 5:50 p.m. the following evening, on Sunday, December 18th.
“The world has lost a distinctive voice, and I’ve lost a dear friend”
Barry Ashworth, the lead singer of Dub Pistols, stated on LBC that Hall’s last words were “Love, love, love” – the same phrase he frequently used to finish concerts.
“Never forget that,” Ashworth told host Andrew Marr, adding, “I’ve lost not only one of my heroes but one of my closest, closest, closest friends.”
On Tuesday, tributes to Hall, who also fronted the bands Fun Boy Three and The Colourfield, came in from throughout the music industry, with friends and colleagues recalling his warmth and dry sense of humor as well as his music.
MacGowan stated that he was “very [expletive] saddened to hear about Terry Hall” and that he was “praying for his family and friends @thespecials.”
Ian Brown of Stone Roses described the guitarist as “a musical pioneer, a true original, one of the greatest frontmen, an inspiration, and a beautiful chap.”
Damon Albarn of Blur, who has frequently cited Hall as an inspiration, shared a stirring rendition of The Specials’ Friday Night, Sunday Morning on social media with the caption: “Terry, you were indispensable to me. I love you.”
Madness, who was also at the forefront of the 1980s ska movement, posted a black-and-white photo of Hall on Twitter with the following caption: “A horrible loss for all of us, way too young, RIP Terry Hall.
And Billy Bragg recalled, “The Specials were a celebration of how Caribbean immigration revitalized British society, but their lead singer’s onstage demeanor was a reminder that they were in the serious business of challenging our perception of who we were in the late 1970s.
Jerry Dammers, Lynval Golding, and Horace Panter created The Specials in Hall’s hometown of Coventry in 1977, with Hall, Neville Staple, Roddy Byers, and John Bradbury joining a year later.
Before Hall formed Fun Boy Three in 1981, they had seven consecutive top 10 successes, including Gangsters, A Message To You Rudy, Too Much, Too Young, and Ghost Town.
In 2008, he rejoined the band for a reunion tour, and in 2019, they achieved their first number-one record with Encore.
Monday night, the band confirmed his passing following a “brief illness.”
In a statement, they requested privacy and said, “He leaves behind the gift of his extraordinary music and tremendous humanity, which will be deeply missed by those who knew and loved him.”
