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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 scored a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a seminal work of synth-pop.

He subsequently founded the innovative electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his rest at his home in London on October 22, just weeks after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

During that show, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the last two years, following a spate of health issues.

"I ended up injure myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones 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 induced coma and remained in the hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" during the summer, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for publication in the coming year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the latest project that we actually completed only a short time ago," said the singer in a heartfelt message.

"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was completely planned to be such an uplifting time for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he listened to the completed album and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond referred to his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.

"Many thanks 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."

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".

"Being in a duo with someone is different from joining a band, the bond is incredibly close," he added.

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, incredible, memorable experiences together. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in the late 50s, Ball was put up for adoption when he was 18 months of age.

He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his given name from Paul to David, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both learning fine arts. Fuelled by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and quickly produced an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an unusual combination: Ball was the reserved technician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all glitter and makeup; but they attained a unique creative synergy.

Ball had developed a interest with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk perform on BBC science show a popular series, and started to combine dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second most popular song of the early 80s, selling 21 million units globally. Alongside hits by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it contributed to paved the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The song was also included on their full-length debut, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned two further high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which peaked at number two in 1982.

Professional Journey

Fame had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my first home, having money and travelling, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball recently shared with a publication.

But it also caused problems. "Newfound wealth allowed we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the monotony" of press appearances and television shows, Ball said.

"I realize that's a cliché, but it's a cliché for a good reason, because it works for so many musicians."

Amidst the party-filled existence, the duo were also drifting apart, but they managed to produce a follow-up classic album - the wayward, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

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

Almond went on to have a successful individual path, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed acid house with melodic sounds over a long-lasting partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

After a further break, they returned in 2018, issuing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a final performance at the O2 Arena on September 30, that year.

Yet, they remained together, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.

Ball recently described the duo's new album as a homage to the New York club scene they visited while recording their first two albums.

He noted that his time in hospital had shaped the band's sound.

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

"The new songs are a digital reflection of the sounds in my head from that time.

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

The last versions were completed only days before Ball died. It is due for launch in Spring 2026.