Terry Hall, singer with ska icons The Specials, dies at 63

Musician Terry Hall of The Specials performs on the Main Stage, at the Isle of Wight Festival in Seaclose Park, Newport, Isle of Wight, England, on June 14, 2014. (Yui Mok/AP)

LONDON — Musician Terry Hall, who helped create one of the defining sounds of post-punk Britain as lead singer of The Specials, has died. He was 63.

The band announced late Monday that Hall had died after a brief illness. It called him "our beautiful friend, brother and one of the most brilliant singers, songwriters and lyricists this country has ever produced."