The musician was born in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, in 1959. However, his life changed drastically after he was kidnapped by a teacher at age 12.
"I was abducted, taken to France, and sexually abused for four days," he told The Spectator in 2019. "And then punched in the face and left on the roadside."
Terry Hall revealed that he suffered bouts of depression as a result of the incident, saying it led him to drop out of school at 14.
"I didn't go to school, I didn't do anything. I just sat on my bed, rocking for eight months."
During the 1990s, he was an alcoholic who used drinking as a crutch to cope with life. In 2004, he attempted suicide and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
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As he entered a local punk band called Squad, music became an important part of his life.
Hall was a star in the 1970s and 80s, with hits such as "Ghost Town," "Gangsters Land" and "Too Much Too Young".
Later, in 1981, the singer left The Specials to form Fun Boy Three with Neville Staple and Lynval Golding, releasing several successful hits.
The Specials said in a statement that the singer died after a brief illness.
"Terry was a wonderful husband and father and one of the kindest, funniest, and most genuine of souls," they wrote.
His music, his performances and his message encapsulated the very essence of life… the joy, the pain, the humour, the fight for justice and most of all, love.
"He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him, and his gifts to us—his music and his humanity—will be cherished for generations."