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Dave Ball, one half of the innovative 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Together with singer Marc Almond, the duo scored a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a classic of electronic music.

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

Ball passed away calmly in his rest at his home in London on October 22, just weeks after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

At that show, Ball appeared in a mobility chair, as he had for the last two years, following a spate of ill-health.

"I ended up injure myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I broke spinal bones in my back and fractured about five ribs and broke my wrist."

Following contracting a lung infection and developing sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and remained in hospital for half a year.

Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place mentally" during the summer, as he was developing a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the latest project that we literally finished only a short time ago," stated the vocalist in a heartfelt message.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he listened to the finished record and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond referred to his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant 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 existence and for the songs you created with 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".

"Forming a partnership with someone is distinct from being in a group, the bond is very tight," he continued.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many remarkable, incredible, memorable experiences together. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half of age.

He was raised in Blackpool with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his first name from his birth name to his adopted name, together with his sibling his sister, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both learning art. Inspired by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and promptly produced an EP.

Musical Partnership

The duo were an unusual combination: Ball was the reserved musician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with electronic instruments after watching the band Kraftwerk appear on a television program a popular series, and started to combine moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second most popular song of the early 80s, shifting millions of units worldwide. Together with hits by Gary Numan, Human League and electronic acts, it helped paved the way for the electronic music style of the 80s.

The track was also included on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which produced two further top five singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Career Highlights

Success had its upsides. "I loved being able to purchase my first home, having financial security and travelling, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball recently told with a publication.

But it also presented challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the boredom" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.

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

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to create a follow-up memorable record - the wayward, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the band to concentrate on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a prosperous solo career, including the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who mixed dance music with ambient pop over a enduring partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell came back together in 2001, releasing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

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

Yet, they remained active, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.

Ball recently characterized the duo's new album as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they frequented while making their initial records.

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

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

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

"In parallel, it's about the experiences me and Marc had in the 80s."

The last versions were finished only a short time before Ball died. It is scheduled for release in the spring of 2026.