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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 pair scored a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a seminal work of synth-pop.

He subsequently founded the pioneering techno group The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his rest at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, just weeks after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

During that show, Ball appeared in a mobility chair, as he had for the last two years, after a period of ill-health.

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he stated in 2023. "I broke lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about five ribs and fractured my arm."

Following contracting a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was placed in an induced coma and stayed in hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "a great place emotionally" during the summer, as he was developing a new album with Almond, called Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication in the coming year.

"He was focused and so happy with the new album that we literally completed only a few days ago," said the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's so sad as next year was all set to be such an uplifting time for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he listened to the finished record and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

Almond described his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.

"Thank you Dave for being an immense aspect of my existence and for the music you gave me. I wouldn't be where I am without your influence."

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

"Being in a partnership with someone is different 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 as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

Born into a one-parent family in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months old.

He was raised in Blackpool with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from Paul to his adopted name, alongside his younger sister his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

He encountered Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both studying art. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly produced an extended play.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an unusual combination: Ball was the quiet technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they attained a rare creative synergy.

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

Their signature song became the UK's second biggest-selling song of the early 80s, selling 21 million copies worldwide. Together with hits by Gary Numan, Human League and Ultravox, it helped paved the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The track was also featured on their full-length debut, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two further top five singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at number two in the following year.

Career Highlights

Fame had its benefits. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having money and travelling, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a music magazine.

But it also caused problems. "Sudden riches meant we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the boredom" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball explained.

"I realize that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it applies for so many musicians."

Amidst the party-filled existence, the duo were also growing distant, but they managed to create a second classic album - the unconventional, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to focus on other projects.

Almond went on to have a successful solo career, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who mixed dance music with melodic sounds over a enduring partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, producing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.

After a further break, they returned in recent years, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a final performance at the large venue on 30 September, that year.

However, they remained active, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball lately characterized the duo's new album as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while making their first two albums.

He noted that his time in medical care had shaped 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.

"The new songs are a digital reflection of the sounds in my head from that time.

"Simultaneously, it's about the experiences me and Marc had in the 80s."

The final mixes were completed only days before Ball died. It is scheduled for launch in the spring of 2026.