The Specials frontman Terry Hall has died at the age of 63.
The musician is credited for pioneering the British ska scene n the 1970s with his hugely successful band.
The band broke the news to fans that Terry has sadly passed away following a 'brief illness' as they praised him for being a 'wonderful husband and father and one of the kindest, funniest and most genuine souls.'
Bandmate Neville Staples tweeted that he knew Terry had been unwell but didn't know how serious things were until recently.
He also shared that the Coventry-born performers had agreed to work together again in 2023 before the sad news.
Before his death Hall had spoke previously of his turbulent life which included being kidnapped by a paedophile ring as a child.
Speaking on a podcast in 2019, Hall revealed he suffered from decades of turmoil as he struggled to come to terms with his sexual abuse.
He even sang about the harrowing experience in his 1980s band Fun Boy Three with the song Well Fancy That.
Hall admitted it has taken years of treatment and medication to help him get over the trauama.
Following his abduction by his French teacher, Hall went on to suffer from drug addiction, alcohol abuse, depression and even attempted suicide.
His failed attempt to end his life in 2004, led to a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, which eventually prompted Hall to reunite The Specials.
In an interview with the Richard Herring ’s Leicester Square Theatre Podcast, he recalled his horrific trip to France in the early 1980s.
He revealed: “At 12 I got abducted by a paedophile ring in France and that was a real eye-opener.
"And I can laugh about it now but it sort of switched something in my head and it’s like I don’t have to do that and that’s when I started like not listening to anyone."
Following the harrowing experience, he was prescribed Valium at 13 and found he lost his motivation to go to school.
He told the Spectator: "I was addicted to Valium. Which meant I didn't go to school, I didn't do anything. I just sat on my bed rocking for eight months."
His teenage years saw troubled Hall starting smoking and drinking underage and he decided to drop out of school at 15.
As an adult, he admitted he spent 10 years being angry with his abuser, but now realises the perpetrator was mentally ill.
He soon found love for music and formed Coventry ska band The Specials and found songwriting a cathartic experience.
Following the release of The Specials' biggest hit Ghost Town, which spent three weeks at No.1, Hall quit the band due to personality clashes.
Taking bandmates Lynval Golding and Neville Staple with him, they formed new wave pop trio Fun Boy Three.
During their two years as a group, Hall confronted his past in their 1983 album track Well Fancy That from the second and final album Waiting.
One heartbreaking section of the track sees Hall sing: "The hedge that you dragged me through, led to a nervous breakdown. If I could have read, what was going on inside your head, I would have said, that I was blind to your devious mind.
"There's no excuse, but your abuse, and the scars that it leaves."
Describing the song in a previous interview, Hall said: "The only way I could deal with the experience was to write about it, in a song. It was very difficult for me to write, but I wanted to communicate my feelings."
Fun Boy Three disbanded after just two years, with Hall spending the next two decades moving between musical projects, including his bands Colourfield, Terry, Blair & Anouchka and Vegas.
He's also collaborated with a host of musicians, including Tricky, Gorillaz, Lily Allen, Shakespeares Sister and The Lightning Seeds, as well as releasing two solo albums.
During the nineties, Hall admitted he started self-medicating with gin and became an alcoholic.
Throughout that time, he refused to partake in The Specials reunions, but all that changed following his suicide attempt.
In 2004, Hall tried to kill himself and doctors diagnosed bipolar disorder, finally giving him clarity over his mental struggles so he decided to offer the olive branch to his Specials bandmates.
He first got in touch with drummer John Bradbury and eventually most of the band was on board - except keyboardist Jerry Dammers - and they finally reunited in 2008.
Reflecting on their reunion, Hall said: "That was the issue really for me: one by one gather those friends back in. That’s been better than any gig, just that they’re there again."
Hall admitted in 2019 he had been taking anti-psychotic medication for 12 years.
He went on to find happiness with second wife, director Lindy Heymann, and their son Orson, eight.
They originally met when she directed the video for his 1997 single Ballad Of A Landlord, but didn't get together as a couple until years later.
He also has two sons Leo and Felix - a successful DJ - with first wife Jeanette Hall.
The pair were childhood sweethearts and were together for over 20 years, before divorcing in the mid-nineties.
His 1994 solo track Forever J from his 1994 debut solo album Home was written in tribute to Jeanette.
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