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

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the team scored a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a seminal work of electronic music.

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

Ball died calmly in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, only a short time after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

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

"I ended up injure myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about five ribs and fractured my arm."

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

Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place mentally" over the warmer months, as he was developing a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication next year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we actually completed only a short time ago," said the vocalist in a heartfelt message.

"It's so sad as 2026 was completely planned to be such an uplifting year for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

Almond described his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", stating: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our body of work.

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

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

"Forming a partnership 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 extraordinary, incredible, memorable moments as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

Born into a one-parent family in Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months old.

He was raised in Blackpool with his new family his caregivers, who altered his given name from his birth name to David, alongside his younger sister his sister, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a shared love of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and promptly produced an EP.

Musical Partnership

The duo were an unusual combination: Ball was the reserved musician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they attained a rare creative synergy.

Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing the band Kraftwerk appear on a television program a popular series, and began to marry moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling song of 1981, shifting 21 million units worldwide. Together with hits by other artists, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The song was also included on their full-length debut, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two further top five singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the album up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at number two in 1982.

Career Highlights

Fame had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to afford my first home, having financial security and exploring, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball recently told with a publication.

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

"I know that's a common saying, but it's a cliché for a good reason, because it applies for so many musicians."

During the party-filled existence, the pair were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to produce a follow-up memorable record - the wayward, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the band to focus on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a successful 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 partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

Following another break, they returned in recent years, issuing the new tracks 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, 2018.

Yet, they remained active, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball recently described the duo's new album as a homage to the NYC nightlife they visited while making their initial records.

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

"I experienced strange recollections when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on morphine," he told a publication.

"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the noises in my mind from those days.

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

The final mixes were finished only a short time before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for launch in the spring of 2026.