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Dave Ball, a key member of the groundbreaking 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the pair achieved a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album their initial full-length release is regarded as a seminal work of synth-pop.

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

Ball died peacefully in his sleep at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

At that performance, Ball appeared in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a spate of ill-health.

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

After catching a lung infection and developing sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in the hospital for half a year.

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" over the summer, as he was developing a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for release in the coming year.

"He was concentrated and very pleased with the new album that we literally finished only a few days ago," said the vocalist in a heartfelt message.

"It's so sad 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 great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond described his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", stating: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.

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

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".

"Being in a duo with someone is distinct from being in a group, the connection is very tight," he added.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many remarkable, incredible, life-affirming moments together. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

Born into a single-parent household in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.

He was raised in the seaside town with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his given name from his birth name to David, alongside his sibling his sister, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both learning fine arts. Fuelled by a shared love of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and promptly produced an extended play.

Musical Partnership

The duo were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the reserved musician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all glitter and makeup; but they achieved a rare creative synergy.

Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after watching the band Kraftwerk appear on a television science show a popular series, and began to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling song of the early 80s, shifting 21 million copies worldwide. Together with hits by other artists, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped cleared the way for the electronic music style of the 80s.

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

They followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at number two in the following year.

Professional Journey

Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having financial security and travelling, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball recently told with a publication.

But it also presented problems. "Newfound wealth meant we could afford newfound drugs to relieve the boredom" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.

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

During the party-filled existence, the pair were also drifting apart, but they managed to create a follow-up memorable record - the unconventional, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released another album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to focus on other projects.

Almond went on to have a prosperous individual path, including the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined acid house with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

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

However, they stayed active, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.

Ball lately described the duo's upcoming release as a homage to the New York club scene they visited while making their initial records.

He added that his time in medical care had shaped the band's sound.

"I experienced unusual memories when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a publication.

"Our latest tracks are a electronic representation of the noises in my head from those days.

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

The final mixes were finished only a short time before Ball died. It is scheduled for launch in Spring 2026.