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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 team scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a classic of synth-pop.

He subsequently founded the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.

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

Recent Health Challenges

At that performance, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a spate of health issues.

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he stated in a recent interview. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and cracked about multiple ribs and broke my wrist."

After contracting pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an induced coma and stayed in the hospital for seven months.

Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place emotionally" over the warmer months, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, called Danceteria, which is set for release next year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the latest project that we literally completed only a few days ago," stated the vocalist in a heartfelt message.

"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 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 believed that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

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

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

Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "steadfast support".

"Forming a duo with someone is different from joining a group, the bond is very tight," he added.

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, extraordinary, memorable moments as a team. Thank you, Dave."

Formative Years

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

He grew up in the seaside town with his new family his caregivers, who altered his first name from his birth name to David, alongside his sibling Susan, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both studying art. Inspired by a shared love of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the same year, and promptly recorded an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an distinctive combination: Ball was the quiet musician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they achieved a rare musical alchemy.

Ball had developed a interest with synthesizers after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on BBC program Tomorrow's World, and began to combine dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling song of the early 80s, shifting 21 million units worldwide. Together with hits by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped cleared the path for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The track was also featured on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which spawned two further high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the album up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at the second position in 1982.

Career Highlights

Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my first home, having financial security and exploring, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball not long ago told with a music magazine.

But it also caused problems. "Sudden riches allowed we could purchase newfound drugs to relieve the boredom" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball said.

"I realize that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it works for so many bands."

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

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

Almond proceeded to have a prosperous solo career, including 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 partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell came back together in the early 2000s, releasing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.

After another hiatus, they returned in 2018, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was intended to be a farewell show at the large venue on September 30, 2018.

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

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

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

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

"The new songs are a digital reflection of the noises in my mind from that time.

"Simultaneously, it's about the times me and Marc got up to in the 1980s."

The last versions were finished only a short time before Ball passed away. It is due for launch in the spring of 2026.