Tributes have been pouring in after it was sadly announced that Terry Hall, the lead singer of The Specials, has died aged 63.
It was confirmed in a statement that he died after a “short illness”.
Born in Coventry in 1959, and going on to become a truly influential figure in the music industry over the last 40 years and beyond, Hall made a name for himself as the lead vocalist in the English 2 tone and ska revival band, The Specials – which formed in 1977.
Confirming Hall’s passing on social media last night, the band paid a heartwarming tribute to their “beautiful friend and brother”.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing, following a brief illness, of Terry, our beautiful friend, brother and one of the most brilliant singers, songwriters and lyricists this country has ever produced.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Terry was a wonderful husband and father and one of the kindest, funniest, and most genuine of souls.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing, following a brief illness, of Terry, our beautiful friend, brother and one of the most brilliant singers, songwriters and lyricists this country has ever produced. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/qJHsI1oTwp
“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.
ADVERTISEMENT
“He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him and leaves behind the gift of his remarkable music and profound humanity.
“Terry often left the stage at the end of The Specials’ life-affirming shows with three words…’Love Love Love’.”
The statement also called on everyone to “respect the family’s privacy at this very sad time”.
ADVERTISEMENT
He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him and leaves behind the gift of his remarkable music and profound humanity. Terry often left the stage at the end of The Specials’ life-affirming shows with three words…“Love Love Love” (3/4)
While The Specials – formerly known as The Automatics, before settling on the name they would be known by – were formed by Jerry Dammers, Lynval Golding, and Horace Panter in Hall’s home city of Coventry in 1977, but Hall, together with other members Neville Staple, Roddy Byers, and John Bradbury, all joined a year later.
Shortly after forming, the band sky-rocketed to fame and quickly achieved popularity with their music that combined a “danceable ska and rocksteady beat” with “punk’s energy and attitude” and lyrics that were described as having a “more focused and informed political and social stance”, and reflecting the country’s economic recession and societal fractures in the early 1980s.
In 1980, the band’s song ‘Too Much Too Young’ – which was the lead track on their The Special AKA Live! EP – reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, before the recession-themed single ‘Ghost Town’ also hit No. 1 in the UK a year later.
The band were also famous for their style, known for wearing mod-style 1960s period rude boy outfits, such as pork pie hats, tonic, and mohair suits and loafers.
After seven consecutive UK top 10 singles between 1979 and 1981, Hall and and other main lead vocalist Neville Staple, along with guitarist Golding, left to form Fun Boy Three.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Specials re-formed in 1993, and have since continued to perform and record with varying lineups.
Terry Hall and The Specials / Credit: The Specials (via Twitter)
Tributes to Hall have been pouring in on social media.
Bandmate Neville Staple lead the tributes saying he was “deeply saddened” to hear about the death of Hall: “In the music world, people have many ups and downs, but I will hang onto the great memories of Terry and I, making history fronting The Specials and Fun Boy Three together.”
Staple added that the pair had only just confirmed some joint musical projects for 2023.
"I was deeply saddened to hear about Terry Hall's passing on Sunday. @SugaryStaple was called as we arrived in Egypt. We knew Terry had been unwell but didn't realise how serious until recently. We had only just confirmed some 2023 joint music agreements together. This has hit me pic.twitter.com/sHNMJIwPII
— From THE SPECIALS Neville Staple (@NevilleStaple) December 19, 2022
Midge Ure, Lightning Seeds, Billy Bragg, UB40, Dexys Midnight Runners, Rowetta, Matt Goss, Reverend & The Makers, and are just some of the musical figures to pay tribute.
ADVERTISEMENT
Fans have also paid tributes in their thousands.
We are very sad to hear of the passing of Terry Hall the lead singer of @thespecials Another one gone too soon!
The Specials were a celebration of how British culture was envigorated by Caribbean immigration but the onstage demenour of their lead singer was a reminder that they were in the serious business of challenging our perception of who we were in the late 1970s. RIP Terry Hall pic.twitter.com/PVwbXyXubq
One of the greatest frontmen from one of the greatest bands. And a gorgeous, kind, down to earth man. I’ll miss his music, his United post match honesty, his messages. 💔 ❤️ Terry Hall Forever ❤️ pic.twitter.com/etTSo5Pl20
Trafford gymnastics coach jailed for 18 years after raping and sexually assaulting young girls
Emily Sergeant
A gymnastics coach from Trafford has been jailed after being found guilty of non-recent rape and sexual assault against young girls he taught.
It comes after a woman bravely came forward to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) back in September 2020 to disclose the prolonged abuse she suffered at the hands of a sports coach during her youth – with the years of offending spanning from the late 1980s to the early 90s.
That coach was Michael Haynes, from the Urmston area of Trafford.
Mr Haynes, who is now 77 years old, appeared at Manchester Crown Court and was sentenced this week after a four-week trial.
During the trial, the court heard how in the late 80s, one of the victims – who was 11 at the time – joined Trafford School of Gymnastics, and it was here where Haynes first sexually assaulted her by inappropriately touching her through her clothing as he was appearing to ‘help’ her with stretching exercises.
This progressed over time, and eventually turned from sexual touching to rape – with offences occurring in his vehicle whilst he was assisting the victim’s family to transport her to and from the gymnastics club.
Following these discoveries, then in December 2023, another woman learned that Haynes was to stand trial for sexual offences and bravely came forward to the police to report what happened to her when she was around 12 years old and had already been at the gymnastics school for years with Haynes.
Michael Haynes / Credit: GMP
The court learned how Haynes began inappropriately asking her about relationships with other boys her age, before proceeding to touch her leg and sexually assault her.
“Michael Haynes violated boundaries I hadn’t yet learned how to name,” the first victim tragically explained in a victim impact statement.
“I didn’t understand what had happened, or how I felt about it. I just knew something had shifted in me. Something had been taken by someone I trusted, and I carried confusion and shame for many years. I still live with the effects of what happened, but I also live with pride in who I’ve become. All you have left now is shame.”
Michael Haynes has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after he was found guilty of nine counts of rape and 11 counts of sexual assault against two girls.
Following the sentencing this week, Detective Inspector Rick Lees, of Trafford’s CID, said: “This was a harrowing investigation, and I would like to thank the survivors for their bravery in coming forward after all these years and reporting what happened to them.
“I cannot imagine the psychological effect that this abuse had on them over the years, and I hope today’s sentencing brings some form of closure and a sense of justice.”
Following the investigation, GMP said it believes there may be further victims of Haynes’ from the same time period who may have previously felt unable to come forward.
“We would like to take this opportunity to appeal to anyone who has been a victim of any form of sexual abuse, whether it be recent or non-recent to please get in touch with us, no matter how long ago it was, we will listen to you, and we can help,” DI Lees concluded.
Featured Image – GMP
News
Tesco are introducing ‘VAR-style’ self-checkouts in the UK
Danny Jones
Many people think VAR has already gone too far and want it gone from football full stop, and we’re here to tell you that you’re a fool; your hopes are in vain, and the technology is only going to become more common as time goes on. Sorry.
So much so, in fact, that Tesco look are bringing in their own virtual referee into self-checkout systems in shops. You could say the ‘game’s gone…’
Of course, we’re being a bit flippant here, but if you have seen ‘VAR’ and ‘Tesco‘, you’re not seeing things: this is genuinely a thing that is being rolled out here in the UK, with video footage of the supermarket chain’s next self-checkout technology going viral online.
Thought you’d got away with sneaking an extra little something in the bag without paying? Think again.
— UB1UB2 West London (Southall) (@UB1UB2) May 28, 2025
We’ll admit, this was the first time we’d come across the technology, but as it turns out, the updated self-checkout service has been in place for a while.
Similar VAR checkouts have already been installed at other retailers, Sainsbury’s and ASDA, although some reports claim that while stores capture footage of shoppers to check if they’ve scanned all of their items, it is thought that not all of these self-service tills show a playback when an error is detected.
Although this particular speculation has sparked some uproar and debate online, many have quite rightly pointed out that CCTV records your movement in any given shop.
Regardless, it’s fair to say that aside from the obvious memes and people poking fun at the new system, many on social media have shared some pretty strong opinions on the matter.
Not that it matters much – it’s likely this will soon become increasingly the norm, with the likes of Sainsbury’s having already introduced barriers which require customers to scan their receipt in order to leave at branches such as the site on Regent Road Retail Park over in Salford.
As yet, it’s unclear how many of these new self-service tills are in operation and whether they are limited to larger supermarket locations of their Express convenience stores, but don’t be surprised if you come across one.
Put simply, if a barcode isn’t registered before being put on the scale and/or set aside to be packed away, the Tesco till will read: “The last item wasn’t scanned properly. Remove from bagging area and try again.”
Addressing these new VAR-style checkouts in an official statement, a company spokesperson said: “We are always looking at technology to make life easier for our customers.
“We have recently installed a new system at some stores which helps customers using self-service checkouts identify if an item has not been scanned properly, making the checkout process quicker and easier.”
What do you make of the new Tesco and their new VAR self-checkout technology?
Emily Sergeant -
20th December 2022 
