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Dave Ball, a key member of the pioneering 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the duo scored a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album their initial full-length release is regarded as a classic of synth-pop.

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

Ball passed away calmly in his rest at his home in London on October 22, just weeks after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

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

"I managed to injure myself significantly," he stated in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my back and cracked about five ribs and fractured my arm."

Following contracting a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and remained in the hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "a great place emotionally" over the warmer months, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for release next year.

"He was focused and so happy with the new album that we literally completed only a few days ago," said the singer in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was completely planned to be such an uplifting year for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he listened to the completed album and felt 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 legacy.

"Many thanks Dave for being an significant 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, also paid tribute, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".

"Forming a duo with someone is distinct from joining a group, the bond is very tight," he added.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many remarkable, incredible, memorable moments together. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

Brought into the world into a one-parent family 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 his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his first name from his birth name to David, together with his sibling Susan, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and promptly produced an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the quiet musician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all glitter and eye-liner; but they achieved a rare musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a fascination with synthesizers after watching the band Kraftwerk perform on BBC science show Tomorrow's World, and started to combine moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second most popular single of 1981, selling 21 million units globally. Together with successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the path for the electronic music style of the 80s.

The track was also included on their first album, their initial LP, which produced two additional high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at the second position in 1982.

Professional Journey

Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my first home, having money and exploring, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a music magazine.

But it also caused challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford newfound drugs to relieve the monotony" of press appearances and television shows, Ball explained.

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

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

They released another LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to focus on other projects.

Almond went on to have a prosperous solo career, including 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 long-lasting collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell came back together in the early 2000s, producing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

After a further hiatus, they reappeared in recent years, releasing 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 30 September, that year.

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

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

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

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

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

"In parallel, it's about the times we got up to in the 80s."

The last versions were finished only a short time before Ball died. It is scheduled for launch in Spring 2026.