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

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the team achieved a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album their initial full-length release is regarded as a classic of synth-pop.

He subsequently formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with 1994's Swamp Thing.

Ball died calmly in his sleep at his residence in London on October 22, 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 show, Ball appeared in a mobility chair, as he had for the last two years, following a spate of ill-health.

"I managed to damage myself significantly," he stated in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my back and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."

After catching pneumonia and developing sepsis, 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 worked on a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication next year.

"He was focused and so happy with the new album that we actually finished only a few days ago," said the singer in a heartfelt message.

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

Tributes

Almond referred to his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant musical genius", stating: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

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

Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".

"Being in a partnership with someone is distinct from joining a band, the bond is very tight," he added.

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, extraordinary, memorable moments as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a one-parent family in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half of age.

He was raised in the seaside town with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from Paul to David, alongside his younger sister his sister, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both studying fine arts. Fuelled by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and promptly recorded an EP.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the reserved musician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they attained a rare creative synergy.

Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk perform on a television program a popular series, and began to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular single of 1981, shifting millions of copies worldwide. Together with successful tracks by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it contributed to paved the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The song was also featured on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned two additional high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the album up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at the second position in 1982.

Career Highlights

Fame had its benefits. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having financial security and exploring, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball recently shared with a publication.

But it also presented challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could purchase newfound drugs to relieve the monotony" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball said.

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

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also growing distant, but they succeeded to create a second memorable record - the wayward, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released another LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to concentrate 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 long-lasting collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, releasing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following another break, they returned in 2018, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a final performance at the large venue on 30 September, 2018.

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

Ball lately characterized the duo's upcoming release as a homage to the New York club scene they frequented while recording their initial records.

He noted that his time in medical care had influenced the band's sound.

"I had unusual memories when I was in and out of the hospital because I was on morphine," he told a music magazine.

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

"In parallel, it's about the times we got up to in the 1980s."

The last versions were completed only days before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.