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

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the team achieved a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a classic of synth-pop.

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

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

Recent Health Challenges

During that performance, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a spate of health issues.

"I managed to damage myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I broke lower vertebrae in my back and fractured about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."

Following catching pneumonia and developing blood poisoning, he was put in an induced coma and stayed in the hospital for half a year.

However, he had been in "a great place mentally" during the warmer months, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.

"He was concentrated and very pleased with the latest project that we actually completed only a short time ago," said the singer in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was completely planned to be such an uplifting year for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the completed album and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond referred to his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.

"Many thanks Dave for being an significant part of my life and for the music you created with me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, also paid tribute, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

"Being in a duo with someone is distinct from being in a group, the connection is incredibly close," he continued.

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, extraordinary, memorable 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 a year and a half old.

He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his given name from Paul to David, together with his sibling Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both learning fine arts. Fuelled by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the very year, and promptly produced an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the reserved musician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with synthesizers after watching the band Kraftwerk perform on a television 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 single of 1981, shifting 21 million units worldwide. Alongside hits by other artists, Human League and Ultravox, it contributed to paved the way for the electronic music style of the 80s.

The track was also featured on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which spawned two additional top five singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Professional Journey

Success had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to afford my first home, having money and exploring, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball recently shared with a publication.

But it also presented challenges. "Newfound wealth allowed we could purchase substances to relieve the boredom" of press appearances and television shows, Ball said.

"I know that's a common saying, but it's a cliché for a valid cause, because it works for so many musicians."

Amidst the party-filled existence, the duo were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to create a second classic album - the unconventional, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to concentrate on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a prosperous solo career, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined dance music with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, releasing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

After another break, they reappeared in recent years, releasing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was intended to be a farewell show at the large venue on September 30, that year.

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

Ball lately described the band's new album as a homage to the New York club scene they visited while making their initial records.

He added that his period in medical care had shaped the group's music.

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

"The new songs are a electronic representation of the noises in my head from those days.

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

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