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.
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“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.
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“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”.
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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.
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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.
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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
‘Sad news’ – the world’s only Vagina Museum has been forced to close
Daisy Jackson
There’s a museum for just about everything these days (we all remember trips to the Stockport Hat Works museum) – but the world’s only space dedicated to vaginas has been forced to close again.
The world-first Vagina Museum announced this week that it’s had to vacate its premises and has once again been left ‘homeless’.
The museum, which welcomed 40,000 visitors in the 10 months it was open, was founded to raise awareness of the gynaecological anatomy and health, erase stigma, and act as a forum for feminism.
Inside, visitors could browse everything from educational materials to art pieces inspired by vaginas and vulvas – including giant tampons decorated in red sequins.
The Vagina Museum said it was ‘disappointed’ that it has been asked to leave its space, adding that it will continue to operate digitally until it finds a new base.
They wrote in a heartfelt statement on social media that they were ‘incredibly proud’ of the museum’s achievements.
Fans of the space queued down the street for its final few days in Bethnal Green, before its eventual closure on Wednesday 1 February.
Their statement said: “Sad news. We’ve received notice to vacate our premises at Bethnal Green by the end of this week. As a property guardianship, we’ve always been aware that we may be asked to leave with very short notice. We’re disappointed that it has come so soon.
“@Enter_theVenue the creative hub with whom we share our space, have also been asked to leave. The Vagina Museum will continue to operate in the digital world as we search for a new home.”
The message continued: “We’re sad about this development, but incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished in the ten months we’ve been at our Bethnal Green premises. We’ve welcomed more than 40,000 visitors through our doors, and received so much love and positive feedback.
“In our time at Bethnal Green, we’ve once again demonstrated just how much the world needs and wants a Vagina Museum.
“Times are, once again, uncertain for us, but we’ve been through this before and risen stronger than ever. With a community like you supporting us, we know we can get through this too.
“We’re actively searching for a new home, and if you know of any vacant spaces (or have one yourself!) please don’t hesitate to reach out. In our home in Bethnal Green, we and ENTER demonstrated that we can transform an empty, unused building into a thriving heart of a community.
“If you don’t have a building, you can still help! Please consider making a donation; a donation of any size makes a huge difference and will help us to weather this storm, just as we’ve weathered storms before.”
The Vagina Museum concluded its thread with: “We’ve made it through a pandemic and a period of temporary homelessness before. With you, together, we can make it through this too.”
Gary Neville addresses ‘clumsy like’ on Tweet about Mason Greenwood 
Daisy Jackson
Gary Neville has said that his liking of a tweet about Mason Greenwood has been ‘misinterpreted’.
The former Manchester United legend and football pundit set off a Twitter storm last night after he ‘liked’ two tweets by Nazir Afzal, and briefly retweeted one.
The tweets in question said that Greenwood was an ‘innocent man’ and added that ‘you are innocent until PROVEN guilty’.
Mason Greenwood had all criminal charges against him dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.
He had faced allegations of rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault, all against the same woman.
The CPS said that Greenwood case had been stopped because of ‘the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light’, adding that there was no longer a ‘realistic prospect of conviction’.
Gary Neville has spoken about his ‘clumsy like’ of a tweet professing Mason Greenwood’s innocence. Credit: Instagram, Gary Neville
Several people noticed that Neville had liked a tweet about Greenwood’s ‘innocence’ and quickly challenged him on it.
One person shared a screenshot and wrote: “You have a massive platform and you’re liking bulls**t like this just because the monster plays for a team you support. you’re disgusting @GNev2.”
He posted: “I liked a tweet relating to the Mason Greenwood news this afternoon from Nazir Afzal. ( the former director of public prosecutions ).
“This like is being misinterpreted. It was a clumsy like as I obviously condemn any violence against women.”
Greenwood issued a short statement yesterday, writing: “I am relieved that this matter is now over and I would like to thank my family, loved ones and friends for their support. There will be no further comment at this time.”
Featured image: Instagram, @garyneville2 / publicity picture
Emily Sergeant -
20th December 2022 
