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

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the duo achieved a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a seminal work of electronic music.

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

Ball died peacefully in his rest at his home in London on October 22, only a short time after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

At that performance, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, 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 broke lower vertebrae in my back and fractured about five ribs and broke my arm."

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

However, he had been in "high spirits mentally" during the summer, as he worked on a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.

"He was focused and so happy with the new album that we actually finished only a short time ago," stated the singer in a heartfelt message.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was all set 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."

Tributes

Almond described his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

"Many thanks 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."

Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".

"Being in a partnership with someone is distinct from being in a band, the bond is incredibly close," he continued.

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, memorable moments as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a one-parent family 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 altered his given name from his birth name to David, alongside his sibling his sister, 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 formed Soft Cell the very year, and quickly recorded an extended play.

Musical Partnership

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

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

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling single of 1981, shifting 21 million copies globally. Together with hits by Gary Numan, Human League and Ultravox, it helped paved the path for the electronic music style of the 80s.

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

They continued the album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at the second position in the following year.

Career Highlights

Fame had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my first home, having financial security and exploring, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball recently shared with a music magazine.

But it also caused challenges. "Newfound wealth meant we could purchase substances to alleviate the boredom" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.

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

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

They put out another LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to focus on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a successful individual path, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined acid house with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell came back together in 2001, producing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following another hiatus, they returned in recent years, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was intended to be a final performance at the large venue on September 30, 2018.

Yet, they remained together, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball recently characterized the band's new album as a homage to the NYC nightlife they frequented 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 music magazine.

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

"In parallel, it's about the times me and Marc had in the 80s."

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