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Dave Ball, a key member of the innovative 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

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

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

Ball passed away calmly 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 Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

During that show, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the last two years, following a period of health issues.

"I ended up injure myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I broke lower vertebrae in my spine and fractured about five ribs and fractured my wrist."

Following contracting pneumonia and developing blood poisoning, he was put in an induced coma and stayed in hospital for half a year.

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" during the warmer months, as he was developing a new album with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the latest project that we literally finished only a short time ago," stated the vocalist in a tribute.

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

Tributes

Almond described his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant musical genius", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.

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

Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

"Being in a duo with someone is distinct from being in a group, the connection is incredibly close," he continued.

"That's how it was with us. We went through so many extraordinary, extraordinary, life-affirming moments together. Thank you, Dave."

Formative Years

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 grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from Paul to David, alongside his sibling Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He encountered Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both learning art. Inspired by a shared love of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and promptly recorded an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an distinctive combination: Ball was the reserved musician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all sparkle and makeup; but they achieved a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing the band Kraftwerk appear on a television program Tomorrow's World, and started to marry dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling song of 1981, shifting millions of copies globally. Together with successful tracks by other artists, Human League and electronic acts, it helped cleared the way for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

The song was also included on their full-length debut, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two further high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed 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 initial property, having money and travelling, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a music magazine.

But it also caused challenges. "Newfound wealth allowed we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the monotony" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball said.

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

Amidst the party-filled existence, the pair were also drifting apart, but they managed to create a follow-up classic album - the unconventional, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released another LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to focus on other projects.

Almond went on to have a prosperous solo career, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed acid house with melodic sounds over a long-lasting partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, releasing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

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

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

Ball lately characterized the duo's new album as a homage to the NYC nightlife they visited while making their initial records.

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

"I experienced strange recollections when I was in and out of hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a music magazine.

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

"Simultaneously, it's about the experiences me and Marc got up to in the 80s."

The last versions were completed only a short time before Ball died. It is due for release in Spring 2026.