The Specials’ Terry Hall’s funeral takes place in London

Terry Hall’s funeral took place yesterday (January 3) after his death last month.

The frontman with 2 tone legends The Specials passed away on December 18 last year after what was initially described in a statement from his family as a “brief illness”; it was later confirmed by his former bandmate, Horace Panter, that Hall was suffering with pancreatic cancer that had spread to his liver. He was 63.

According to the Daily Mail, Hall’s funeral took place yesterday at Golders Green crematorium in northwest London. Dozens of mourners arrived at the service aboard vintage Routemaster double-decker buses. The likes of Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess and Ocean Colour Scene singer Steve Cradock were among those who gathered to pay their respects to Hall.

The announcement of his death on December 19 led to an outpouring of tributes from across the musical world. His collaborator in The Specials, Neville Staple, said he was “deeply saddened” by the loss of Hall, writing on Twitter: “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.”

Also among those paying tribute to Hall’s legacy was singer-songwriter Billy Bragg, who said on Twitter: “The Specials were a celebration of how British culture was envigorated [sic] by Caribbean immigration but the onstage demenour [sic] 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.” He was also remembered by his hometown football club, Coventry City, who displayed a digital banner at the Coventry Building Society Arena ahead of their 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion on December 21.

Hall formed The Specials in 1977, and served as lead vocalist until 1981. He later returned for a reunion in 2008 up until his death.The group released album Encore in 2019, where they were deemed as “legends” by Rolling Stone‘s Will Hermes. “The Special’s third album — 38 years since the last one, More Specials — is well timed,” the review states. “As frontman Terry Hall puts it, the band remain ‘horribly relevant.’”