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

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the duo scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album their initial full-length release is considered a seminal work of electronic music.

He later founded the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with 1994's Swamp Thing.

Ball died calmly in his rest at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

At that performance, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a spate of ill-health.

"I managed to damage myself significantly," he stated in 2023. "I broke spinal bones in my spine and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."

After contracting pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in the hospital for seven months.

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

"He was concentrated and very pleased with the new album that we actually completed only a few days ago," said the singer in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he listened to the finished record and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond described his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.

"Many thanks Dave for being an immense aspect of my life and for the music you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."

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

"Being in a partnership with someone is distinct from joining a band, the bond is very tight," he added.

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, incredible, memorable experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

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

He was raised in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who changed his given name from his birth name to David, together with his sibling his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both learning art. Fuelled by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly produced an EP.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual combination: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they achieved a rare musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a fascination with synthesizers after viewing 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 song of 1981, shifting 21 million units globally. Together with hits by other artists, Human League and Ultravox, it helped paved the way for the electronic music style of the 80s.

The track was also included on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned two further high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the album up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at the second position in 1982.

Career Highlights

Success had its upsides. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having money and travelling, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball recently shared with a publication.

But it also caused challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford substances to relieve the boredom" of media interviews and television shows, Ball explained.

"I realize 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 growing distant, but they managed to create a follow-up memorable record - the wayward, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group 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 formed The Grid, who mixed dance music with ambient pop over a long-lasting collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

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

Following a further hiatus, they returned in recent years, issuing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a farewell show at the large venue on 30 September, 2018.

Yet, they remained together, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.

Ball lately characterized the duo's new album as a homage to the New York club scene they frequented while recording their first two albums.

He noted that his period in hospital had influenced the group's music.

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

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

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

The last versions were finished only days before Ball passed away. It is due for launch in the spring of 2026.