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

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the pair scored a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record their initial full-length release is considered a classic of electronic music.

He subsequently formed the innovative techno group The Grid, who secured chart success with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

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

Recent Health Challenges

At that show, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a period of ill-health.

"I ended up damage myself quite a bit," he stated in 2023. "I broke lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about multiple ribs and broke my wrist."

Following catching pneumonia and developing sepsis, he was placed in an induced coma and remained in hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" over the warmer months, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, called Danceteria, which is set for release in the coming year.

"He was focused and so happy with the new album that we actually completed only a short time ago," said the singer in a heartfelt message.

"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was all set to be such an positive time for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he listened to the completed album and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

Almond described his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant musical genius", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our body of work.

"Thank you Dave for being an significant aspect of my life and for the music you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without you."

Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".

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

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, life-affirming moments together. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

Brought into the world into a one-parent family in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was put up for adoption when he was 18 months old.

He grew up in Blackpool with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from Paul to his adopted name, alongside his sibling Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

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

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the quiet musician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they achieved a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a fascination with synthesizers after watching the band Kraftwerk perform on a television science show a popular series, and started to combine dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second most popular song of 1981, selling 21 million copies globally. Alongside hits by other artists, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it helped cleared the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

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

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

Career Highlights

Success had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to afford my initial property, having financial security and exploring, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a music magazine.

But it also caused problems. "Newfound wealth allowed we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the boredom" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball explained.

"I know that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it applies for so many musicians."

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

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

Almond proceeded to have a successful solo career, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed acid house with melodic sounds over a long-lasting collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

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

Following a further hiatus, they reappeared in recent years, issuing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was supposed to be a final performance at the O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.

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

Ball recently described the band's upcoming release as a homage to the NYC nightlife they visited while recording their initial records.

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

"I had unusual memories when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a publication.

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

"In parallel, it's about the times we had in the 1980s."

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