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Dave Ball, one half of the innovative 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the pair achieved a global success with their cover 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 formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who achieved chart success with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his sleep at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in the Thames-side town.

Recent Health Challenges

At that performance, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a period of health issues.

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

After contracting pneumonia and developing sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and remained in hospital for seven months.

Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place emotionally" over the summer, as he worked on a new album with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.

"He was concentrated and very pleased with the new album that we literally completed only a few days ago," stated the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's so sad as 2026 was all set to be such an positive time for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

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

"Thank you Dave for being an significant aspect of my life and for the songs you gave me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."

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

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

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, incredible, memorable moments together. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.

He grew up in the seaside town with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his first name from Paul to his adopted name, together with his sibling Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both studying art. Fuelled by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and quickly recorded an extended play.

Musical Partnership

The duo were an unusual combination: Ball was the quiet musician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after watching the band Kraftwerk appear on a television program Tomorrow's World, and started to marry dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling single of 1981, selling millions of copies globally. Alongside hits by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it helped paved the path for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

The song was also featured on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which produced two further high-charting 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

Success had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to afford my first home, having financial security and travelling, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball recently shared with a music magazine.

But it also presented problems. "Sudden riches meant we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the boredom" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.

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

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

They put out another LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to concentrate on other projects.

Almond went on to have a prosperous individual path, including 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 long-lasting partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell came back together in 2001, producing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following a further hiatus, they returned in recent years, releasing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was intended to be a final performance at the O2 Arena on September 30, that year.

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

Ball lately described the band's upcoming release as a tribute to the New York club scene they frequented while making their first two albums.

He added that his period in medical care had influenced the band's sound.

"I experienced strange recollections when I was coming and going of 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.

"Simultaneously, it's about the times me and Marc had in the 1980s."

The last versions were completed only a short time before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for launch in the spring of 2026.