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Dave Ball, a key member of the innovative 1980s synth-pop duo 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' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a seminal work of electronic music.

He later formed the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who secured chart success with 1994's Swamp Thing.

Ball died calmly in his rest at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, just weeks after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

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

"I managed to damage myself significantly," he stated in a recent interview. "I broke lower vertebrae in my back and fractured about five ribs and fractured my arm."

After catching pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in the hospital for seven months.

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

"He was concentrated and very pleased with the latest project that we actually finished only a short time ago," said the singer in a heartfelt message.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was all set to be such an positive time for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he heard the completed album and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond described his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

"Many thanks Dave for being an immense part of my existence and for the music you gave me. I wouldn't be where I am without your influence."

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

"Forming a duo with someone is distinct from being in a band, the bond is very tight," he added.

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

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months of age.

He grew up in Blackpool with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from Paul to David, alongside his sibling his sister, who was also adopted.

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

Musical Partnership

The duo were an distinctive combination: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all glitter and makeup; but they achieved a rare creative synergy.

Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on a television program a popular series, and started to marry moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling single of 1981, shifting 21 million units globally. Alongside hits by other artists, Human League and electronic acts, it helped paved the path for the synth-pop sound 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 followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in 1982.

Professional Journey

Success had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to afford my initial property, having financial security and travelling, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball recently shared with a music magazine.

But it also presented problems. "Sudden riches allowed we could purchase substances to relieve the monotony" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.

"I realize that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a good reason, because it works for so many musicians."

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

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

Almond proceeded to have a successful individual path, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined dance music with ambient pop over a long-lasting collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

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

Following a further break, they reappeared in recent years, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was intended to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on September 30, that year.

However, they remained together, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball lately characterized the duo's new album as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while recording their first two albums.

He noted that his time 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 pain medication," he told a music magazine.

"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the noises in my mind from that time.

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

The final mixes were finished only a short time before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for launch in the spring of 2026.