Terry Hall’s Cancer Diagnosis Halted New Album From The Specials

Terry Hall, the lead singer of the band The Specials,  passed away on December 18th at the age of 63. The band announced Hall’s seemingly unexpected passing resulted from ‘a brief illness’. However, the real cause of Hall’s surprising death was the result of a battle with pancreatic cancer.

The Specials gained notoriety in England in the late 1970s and into the early 1980s. Terry Hall acted as the band’s second singer shortly after the band’s creation. The Specials are responsible for the design of nine studio albums along with several singles.  As well as the creation of these albums, The Specials have announced that yet another album was in the works at the time of Hall’s unfortunate cancer diagnosis.

The Specials were planning on recording a new album with a focus on reggae, which is a long way away from the ska that brought the band fame. According to sources at Spin, The latest ill-fated project was expected to feature eight songs and has been in the works since 2020. This album was meant to have been recorded in Los Angeles with co-producer Roger Rivas of the Aggrolites. Cover art had already been in production with artist Shepard Fairey.  Unfortunately, this project was doomed by the unexpected illness that would later cost Terry Hall his life.