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Dave Ball, a key member of the groundbreaking 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 version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a seminal work of electronic music.

He subsequently founded the pioneering electronic act 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 Festival in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

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

"I managed to damage myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I broke spinal bones in my spine and fractured about multiple ribs and broke my arm."

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

However, he had been in "high spirits mentally" over the warmer months, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for release in the coming year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we literally 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 positive time for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he listened to the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond referred to his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", adding: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.

"Many thanks Dave for being an immense part of my existence 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 "steadfast support".

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

"That's how it was with us. We went through so many remarkable, extraordinary, memorable moments together. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

Born into a one-parent family in Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months of age.

He was raised in the seaside town with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from Paul to David, together with his sibling Susan, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both learning fine arts. Inspired by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and quickly recorded an EP.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all sparkle and makeup; but they attained a unique creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a fascination with electronic instruments after watching the band Kraftwerk perform on a television science show a popular series, and started to marry dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling song of 1981, shifting 21 million units globally. Alongside successful tracks by other artists, Human League and electronic acts, it helped paved the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The song was also featured on their first album, their initial LP, which produced two additional high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the album up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in the following year.

Career Highlights

Fame had its benefits. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having money and exploring, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball recently told with a publication.

But it also caused problems. "Newfound wealth meant we could afford newfound drugs to alleviate the boredom" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball said.

"I know that's a common saying, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it works for so many bands."

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also growing distant, but they managed to produce a follow-up memorable record - the wayward, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more album, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to focus on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a successful individual path, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined acid house with ambient pop over a long-lasting collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, producing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following 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 intended to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on September 30, that year.

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

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

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

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

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

"Simultaneously, it's about the experiences we got up to in the 1980s."

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