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Dave Ball, a key member of the innovative 1980s synth-pop duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Together with singer Marc Almond, the pair achieved a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a classic of electronic music.

He later formed the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, only a short time after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

During that performance, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a spate of health issues.

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

After contracting pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an induced coma and remained in the hospital for half a year.

However, he had been in "high spirits mentally" during the warmer months, as he worked on a new album with Almond, called Danceteria, which is set for publication in the coming year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the latest project that we actually finished only a few days ago," said the singer in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was completely planned to be such an positive time for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he heard the finished record and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond referred to his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.

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

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

"Being in a duo with someone is different from being in a group, the bond is very tight," he continued.

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

Formative Years

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

He was raised in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who changed his first name from his birth name to David, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both learning fine arts. Inspired by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the very year, and quickly produced an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual combination: Ball was the quiet technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing Kraftwerk appear on a television program Tomorrow's World, and began to marry moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second most popular single of 1981, selling millions of copies worldwide. Alongside successful tracks by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it helped cleared the way for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The track was also featured on their first album, their initial LP, which produced 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 upsides. "I enjoyed being able to afford my initial property, having money and travelling, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball recently told with a publication.

But it also caused challenges. "Sudden riches meant we could afford newfound drugs to relieve the monotony" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball explained.

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

During the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to create a second memorable record - the unconventional, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released another LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to focus on individual endeavors.

Almond proceeded to have a prosperous solo career, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined acid house with ambient pop over a long-lasting partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

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

After another hiatus, they returned in recent years, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was supposed to be a final performance at the O2 Arena on September 30, that year.

Yet, they stayed together, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.

Ball recently characterized the duo's new album as a homage to the NYC nightlife they frequented while recording their first two albums.

He noted that his period in hospital had influenced the band's sound.

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

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

"In parallel, it's about the times we had in the 80s."

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