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

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the duo scored a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record their initial full-length release is considered a classic of synth-pop.

He later founded the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his rest at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

During that show, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a period of ill-health.

"I ended up damage myself significantly," he stated in 2023. "I broke lower vertebrae in my back and fractured about five 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 half a year.

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

"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we literally finished only a short time ago," said the singer in a tribute.

"It's so sad as next year was completely planned to be such an uplifting year for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond referred to his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our body of work.

"Many thanks Dave for being an immense aspect of my existence and for the songs you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."

Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "steadfast support".

"Being in a duo with someone is different from joining a band, the connection is very tight," he added.

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, life-affirming moments as a team. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

Born into a one-parent family in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half of age.

He was raised in the seaside town with his new family his caregivers, who changed his given name from his birth name to David, together with his younger sister his sister, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both learning fine arts. Inspired by a shared love of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and promptly produced an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the reserved technician, hunched over his synthesizer, 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 Kraftwerk appear on a television program a popular series, and started to combine moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling single of 1981, shifting 21 million copies globally. Together with successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it helped cleared the path for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The song was also featured on their first album, their initial LP, which spawned two further high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in the following year.

Career Highlights

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

But it also caused challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could purchase substances to relieve the boredom" of press appearances 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 bands."

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also growing distant, but they managed to produce a second classic album - the wayward, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

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

Almond proceeded to have a successful solo career, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who mixed acid house with melodic sounds over a enduring partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell came back together in the early 2000s, producing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.

After another hiatus, they reappeared in 2018, 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 O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.

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

Ball recently described the band's upcoming release as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while recording their initial records.

He noted that his period in medical care had shaped the band's sound.

"I had strange recollections when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a music magazine.

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

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

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