Grief over Terry Hall's death 'still there'

Terry Hall died in December 2022

The grief over the death of Terry Hall is still there, says Specials bassist and close friend Horace Panter.

Hall died a year ago aged 63, of pancreatic cancer.

Speaking to Radio CWR as part of a week of stories marking the first anniversary of Hall's death, Panter said his sadness at the loss was "ongoing".

"I don't think you ever get over it, you kind of manage it somehow," he said.

Horace Panter and Terry Hall were performing together in the months leading up to Hall's death

While studying at Lanchester Polytechnic, now Coventry University, Panter met Jerry Dammers and together they formed The Specials - with Hall joining shortly afterwards.

Speaking at Coventry Music Museum, where Panter has a display of memorabilia, he said: "I'm very stiff upper lip, keep calm and carry on, so I honestly thought that I was coping with it.

"But then a couple of weeks ago I was in Manchester and I was taking part in a literary festival up there and I suddenly found myself driving through the middle of Manchester and it suddenly hit me.

"It is like 'Ah, Terry won't be up here to see the football any time soon', and I wasn't expecting that."

Panter said Hall was very funny

Panter said it was "very difficult" to think Hall's death was a year ago.

"He was very, very funny," he explained, the sharp wit in contrast to the frontman's dour on-stage persona.

"I think he grew up, he matured during The Specials... so sort of growing up in public if you like.

"He matured into a really competent songwriter.

"There was this sort of private side to him as well, he was very funny, there was always something to laugh about."