Terry Hall was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer shortly before his death, The Specials singer's bandmate has said. Bassist Horace Panter said Hall had been "emphatic" that his condition should be kept a secret after being diagnosed.
In a lengthy and emotional Facebook post, Panter said the band had been due to record a new album in Los Angeles in November this year, which had previously been put on hold due to the pandemic, when Hall fell ill. The pair were part of The Specials' first consistent line-up, and rose to fame together as part of the pioneering ska group, with number one hits including Too Much Too Young and Ghost Town.
Hall died aged 63 on Sunday. Panter, 69, wrote that "confidence was high" ahead of the project, and that the group had been looking forward to "making magic". He said that in September, Hall had emailed to say he was "in bed with a stomach bug", but then did not improve in the following weeks.
