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

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the team scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album their initial full-length release is considered a seminal work of synth-pop.

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

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

Recent Health Challenges

At that show, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the last two years, following a period of ill-health.

"I ended up injure myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my back and fractured about multiple ribs and broke my wrist."

Following contracting a lung infection and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an induced coma and stayed in hospital for half a year.

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

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

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

Tributes

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

"Thank you Dave for being an immense part of my existence and for the songs you gave me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "constant humor" and "steadfast support".

"Forming a duo with someone is different from joining a group, the connection is very tight," he continued.

"That's how it was with us. We went through so many extraordinary, extraordinary, memorable experiences as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

Born into a one-parent family in the city of 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 adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from his birth name to his adopted name, alongside his sibling Susan, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a shared love of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the same year, and promptly produced an extended play.

Musical Partnership

The duo were an distinctive combination: Ball was the quiet musician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after viewing Kraftwerk appear on a television program Tomorrow's World, and started to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second most popular single of the early 80s, selling 21 million copies globally. Alongside successful tracks by Gary Numan, Human League and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the path for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The song was also featured on their first album, their initial LP, which produced two further top five 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.

Professional Journey

Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having financial security and travelling, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball not long ago told with a publication.

But it also caused challenges. "Newfound wealth allowed we could afford substances to relieve the monotony" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball explained.

"I know that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a good reason, because it applies for so many bands."

During the party-filled existence, the pair were also growing distant, but they succeeded to create a follow-up memorable record - the wayward, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to focus on other projects.

Almond proceeded to have a prosperous solo career, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined dance music with ambient pop over a enduring partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

After a further hiatus, they reappeared in recent years, issuing 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 30 September, 2018.

Yet, they remained together, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball lately described the band's new album as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they visited while making their first two albums.

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

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

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

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

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