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

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the team achieved a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a seminal work of electronic music.

He subsequently formed the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who secured chart success with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away 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 Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

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

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he commented in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my back and cracked about five ribs and fractured my wrist."

Following catching pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, 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" during the warmer months, as he worked on a new album with Almond, called Danceteria, which is set for publication in the coming year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the latest project that we actually completed only a few days ago," stated the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's so sad as next year was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he listened to the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

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

"Thank you Dave for being an significant part of my existence and for the music 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 duo with someone is distinct from joining a band, the connection is incredibly close," he added.

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, incredible, life-affirming experiences as a team. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

Born into a single-parent household in the city of 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 Paul to David, alongside his younger sister his sister, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both learning fine arts. Fuelled by a mutual passion of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and promptly recorded an EP.

Musical Partnership

The duo were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the reserved technician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all sparkle and makeup; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with electronic instruments after watching the band Kraftwerk perform on BBC program a popular series, and began to marry moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second most popular song of 1981, selling millions of copies globally. Alongside successful tracks by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped paved the way for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

The track was also featured on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which spawned two additional top five hits: 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.

Professional Journey

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

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

"I realize that's a cliché, but it's a cliché for a good reason, because it works for so many musicians."

During the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also growing distant, but they succeeded to produce a second memorable record - the unconventional, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to concentrate on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a prosperous individual path, including the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined dance music with melodic sounds over a long-lasting partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

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

Following another break, they reappeared in 2018, releasing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on September 30, that year.

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

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

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

"I had strange recollections when I was in and out of hospital because I was on morphine," he told a publication.

"The new songs are a electronic representation of the sounds in my mind from those days.

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

The final mixes were completed only a short time before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.