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

Together with singer Marc Almond, the team achieved a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album their initial full-length release is considered a classic of synth-pop.

He later formed the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his sleep 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

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

"I ended up injure myself significantly," he stated in 2023. "I broke lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."

Following catching a lung infection and developing sepsis, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in hospital for half a year.

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits mentally" over the warmer months, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, called Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication next year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we literally finished only a few days ago," stated the singer in a tribute.

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

Tributes

Almond described his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", stating: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

"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 you."

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

"Forming a duo with someone is distinct from being in a group, the bond 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."

Formative Years

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

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

He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both studying fine arts. Fuelled by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly produced an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the quiet musician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all sparkle and makeup; but they achieved a unique creative synergy.

Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after watching Kraftwerk appear on a television program a popular series, and started to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling single of 1981, shifting millions of copies worldwide. Together with successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it contributed to cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

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

They followed the album up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in 1982.

Career Highlights

Fame had its upsides. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having money and travelling, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball not long ago shared with a publication.

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

"I know that's a common saying, but it's a truism for a good reason, because it works for so many musicians."

During the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also growing distant, but they managed to create a second classic album - the unconventional, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

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

Almond proceeded to have a prosperous individual path, including the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed dance music with melodic sounds over a long-lasting partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, producing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.

After a further hiatus, they returned in recent years, releasing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a final performance at the O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.

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

Ball recently characterized the band's new album as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they visited while recording their first two albums.

He noted that his time in medical care had shaped the group's music.

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

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

"In parallel, it's about the experiences we got up to in the 80s."

The final mixes were completed only days before Ball passed away. It is due for launch in the spring of 2026.