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Dave Ball, one half of the pioneering 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the team achieved a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a seminal work of synth-pop.

He subsequently founded the innovative electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his sleep at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

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

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he stated in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and fractured about five ribs and broke my arm."

After contracting pneumonia and developing blood poisoning, he was placed in an induced coma and stayed in hospital for half a year.

However, he had been in "high spirits mentally" over the warmer months, as he was developing a new album with Almond, called Danceteria, which is set for publication next year.

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

"It's so sad as 2026 was all set to be such an positive year for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

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 body of work.

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

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

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

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, extraordinary, memorable experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

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

He grew up in the seaside town with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from his birth name to his adopted name, together with his sibling his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both studying art. Fuelled by a mutual passion of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and quickly produced an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an distinctive combination: Ball was the quiet technician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk perform on BBC science show Tomorrow's World, and started to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second most popular single of 1981, shifting 21 million copies worldwide. Alongside successful tracks by other artists, Human League and Ultravox, it helped paved the way for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The song was also included on their full-length debut, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two further top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the album up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at the second position in the following year.

Professional Journey

Fame had its upsides. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having financial security and exploring, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball recently told with a music magazine.

But it also presented problems. "Newfound wealth allowed we could afford 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 applies for so many musicians."

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to produce a second memorable record - the unconventional, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more album, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to concentrate on other projects.

Almond went on to have a prosperous individual path, including the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who mixed acid house with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, producing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following another hiatus, they reappeared in recent years, releasing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on 30 September, that year.

However, they remained 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 time in medical care had shaped the group's music.

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

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

"In parallel, it's about the experiences we had in the 80s."

The last versions were finished only days before Ball died. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.