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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.

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the duo scored a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album their initial full-length release is considered a classic of electronic music.

He later formed the innovative techno group The Grid, who secured chart success with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball died peacefully in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, just weeks after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

During that show, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a period of health issues.

"I ended up damage myself quite a bit," he commented in a recent interview. "I broke lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about five ribs and broke my arm."

Following contracting pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and remained in hospital for seven months.

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

"He was focused and so happy with the new album that we literally completed only a short time ago," stated the singer in a tribute.

"It's so sad as next year was all set to be such an positive year for him, and I take some solace 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 bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant musical genius", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.

"Thank you Dave for being an significant aspect of my life and for the music you created with me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."

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

"Being in a partnership with someone is distinct from being in a band, the bond is incredibly close," he continued.

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, incredible, memorable experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

Born into a single-parent household in Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half of age.

He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his first name from his birth name to his adopted name, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both learning fine arts. Fuelled by a shared love of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and quickly produced an EP.

Musical Partnership

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

Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after watching Kraftwerk perform on BBC science show a popular series, and started to combine dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second most popular single of the early 80s, shifting 21 million copies worldwide. Together with hits by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it contributed to paved the path for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

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

They continued the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which peaked at the second position in 1982.

Career Highlights

Fame had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to afford my initial property, having financial security and travelling, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a publication.

But it also presented problems. "Newfound wealth meant we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the boredom" of media interviews and television shows, Ball explained.

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

Amidst the party-filled existence, the duo were also growing distant, but they managed to produce a second classic album - the unconventional, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to focus on other projects.

Almond proceeded to have a prosperous individual path, featuring 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 reunited in the early 2000s, producing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

After another hiatus, they returned in recent years, 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 30 September, 2018.

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

Ball lately described the duo's new album as a homage to the NYC nightlife they visited while recording their first two albums.

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

"I had strange recollections when I was in and out of hospital because I was on morphine," he told a music magazine.

"The new songs are a digital reflection of the sounds in my mind from those days.

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

The final mixes were finished only a short time before Ball died. It is due for launch in Spring 2026.