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Dave Ball, one half of the innovative 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the pair scored 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 classic of electronic music.

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

Ball died calmly in his rest at his residence in London on October 22, only a short time after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

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

"I ended up damage myself quite a bit," he stated in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my back and fractured about multiple ribs and broke my arm."

Following catching pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in hospital for half a year.

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" over the summer, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, called Danceteria, which is set for publication 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 so sad as 2026 was completely planned to be such an positive time for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he listened to the completed album and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond described his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", stating: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.

"Thank you Dave for being an significant part of my existence and for the songs you gave me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

"Forming a duo with someone is different from joining a group, the connection is incredibly close," he added.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many extraordinary, extraordinary, memorable experiences as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a one-parent family in Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.

He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his first name from his birth name to David, together with his sibling Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both studying fine arts. Fuelled by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly produced an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an unusual combination: Ball was the reserved musician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all glitter and makeup; but they achieved a unique creative synergy.

Ball had developed a interest with synthesizers after viewing the band Kraftwerk appear on a television science show a popular series, and started to combine dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling song of 1981, shifting 21 million units worldwide. Alongside hits by other artists, 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, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned two additional high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which peaked at the second position in the following year.

Career Highlights

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

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

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

During the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also growing distant, but they succeeded to create a follow-up classic album - the wayward, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the band to concentrate on other projects.

Almond went on to have a successful individual path, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who mixed acid house with ambient pop over a long-lasting partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, producing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following another hiatus, they returned in 2018, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a final performance at the large venue on September 30, that year.

Yet, they remained together, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball lately described the band's new album as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they frequented while recording their first two albums.

He added that his period in hospital had influenced the band's sound.

"I had unusual memories when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on morphine," he explained to a publication.

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

"In parallel, it's about the times we got up to in the 80s."

The last versions were finished only days before Ball died. It is due for release in the spring of 2026.