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Dave Ball, one half of the pioneering 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the pair scored a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a seminal work of electronic music.

He subsequently formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with 1994's Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his rest at his home in London on October 22, only a short time after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

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

"I managed to injure myself significantly," he stated in 2023. "I broke spinal bones in my back and cracked about five ribs and fractured my wrist."

Following catching a lung infection and developing sepsis, he was placed in an induced coma and stayed in the hospital for half a year.

However, he had been in "high spirits mentally" during the summer, as he worked on a new album with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for publication next year.

"He was concentrated and very pleased with the new album that we actually finished only a few days ago," stated the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was completely planned to be such an positive year for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he heard the completed album and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond referred to his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", stating: "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 songs you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without you."

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, also paid tribute, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

"Forming a partnership with someone is distinct from joining a group, the bond is incredibly close," he added.

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, incredible, life-affirming experiences together. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

Brought into the world 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 old.

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 Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a shared love of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly recorded an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the reserved technician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all glitter and makeup; but they attained a rare creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a fascination with synthesizers after watching the band Kraftwerk appear on a television science show a popular series, and started to combine moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second most popular song of 1981, shifting 21 million copies globally. Alongside successful tracks by Gary Numan, Human League and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

The track was also included 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 stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at the second position in the following year.

Career Highlights

Success had its upsides. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having money and exploring, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball not long ago told with a publication.

But it also presented problems. "Newfound wealth meant we could afford substances to relieve the boredom" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball said.

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

During the party-filled existence, the duo were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to create a second memorable record - the wayward, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released another album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the band to focus on individual endeavors.

Almond proceeded to have a prosperous 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 collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, producing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following a further hiatus, 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 large venue on 30 September, that year.

However, they remained active, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.

Ball lately characterized the band's upcoming release as a tribute to the New York club scene they frequented while recording their first two albums.

He noted that his time in hospital had influenced the band's sound.

"I experienced unusual memories when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on morphine," he told a publication.

"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the noises in my head from those days.

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

The final mixes were finished only days before Ball died. It is due for launch in the spring of 2026.