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Dave Ball, one half of the innovative 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the team achieved a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a classic of synth-pop.

He later founded the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball died calmly in his rest at his home in London on October 22, just weeks after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

At that performance, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the last two years, after a period of health issues.

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he commented in 2023. "I broke lower vertebrae in my spine and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."

Following catching pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in the hospital for seven months.

Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place emotionally" over the summer, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is set for publication in the coming year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the latest project that we literally completed only a short time ago," said the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was all set to be such an uplifting time for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he heard the completed album and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

Almond referred to his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

"Many thanks Dave for being an immense part of my existence and for the songs you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."

Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".

"Forming a partnership with someone is distinct from joining a group, the connection is incredibly close," he continued.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many extraordinary, incredible, life-affirming experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

Born into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months old.

He grew up in the seaside town with his new family his caregivers, who altered his given name from his birth name to David, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both learning art. Fuelled by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and quickly recorded an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual combination: Ball was the quiet musician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all sparkle and makeup; but they achieved a rare creative synergy.

Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on BBC science show a popular series, and started to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular song of 1981, shifting millions of units worldwide. Together with hits by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped cleared the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The track was also featured on their first album, their initial LP, which produced two additional top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the record up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in 1982.

Professional Journey

Fame had its benefits. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having financial security and exploring, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a publication.

But it also caused challenges. "Newfound wealth allowed we could afford newfound drugs to relieve the boredom" of press appearances and television shows, Ball said.

"I know that's a common saying, but it's a truism for a good reason, because it applies for so many bands."

Amidst the party-filled existence, the duo were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to produce a second classic album - the unconventional, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to concentrate on other projects.

Almond went on to have a prosperous solo career, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined dance music with melodic sounds over a long-lasting partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell came back together in 2001, producing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following a further hiatus, they returned in recent years, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was supposed to be a farewell show at the large venue on September 30, that year.

However, they remained active, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.

Ball lately described the band's new album as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while recording their initial records.

He added that his period in hospital had influenced the group's music.

"I had unusual memories when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on morphine," he explained to a music magazine.

"Our latest tracks are a electronic representation of the noises in my mind from that time.

"Simultaneously, it's about the experiences we got up to in the 1980s."

The final mixes were finished only days before Ball died. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.