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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 duo scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record their initial full-length release is regarded as a seminal work of synth-pop.

He later founded the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

During that performance, Ball appeared in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a period of ill-health.

"I managed to damage myself quite a bit," he commented in a recent interview. "I fractured spinal bones in my back and fractured about five ribs and fractured my wrist."

After contracting pneumonia and developing blood poisoning, he was placed in an induced coma and remained in hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "a great place mentally" during the summer, as he was developing a new album with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for publication in the coming year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we literally finished only a few days ago," stated the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was completely planned to be such an positive year for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the finished record and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond referred to his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

"Many thanks Dave for being an immense aspect of my existence and for the music you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."

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

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

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, extraordinary, life-affirming 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 18 months old.

He was raised in the seaside town with his new family his caregivers, who changed his given name from his birth name to David, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both studying art. Inspired by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the very year, and promptly recorded an extended play.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the reserved musician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all glitter and makeup; but they attained a rare musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with electronic instruments after viewing Kraftwerk perform on BBC program a popular series, and started to marry dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling single of the early 80s, shifting millions of copies globally. Together with hits by other artists, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it contributed to paved the way for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The song was also included on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which spawned two additional high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Professional Journey

Fame had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to afford my first home, having financial security and travelling, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball recently shared with a publication.

But it also caused challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford substances to alleviate the monotony" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball said.

"I know that's a common saying, but it's a truism for a good reason, because it applies for so many bands."

Amidst the party-filled existence, the pair were also growing distant, but they succeeded to produce a follow-up memorable record - the unconventional, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

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

Almond proceeded to have a successful individual path, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed dance music with melodic sounds over a long-lasting partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell came back together in the early 2000s, producing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following a further hiatus, they returned in recent years, releasing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a final performance at the large venue on September 30, 2018.

Yet, they remained active, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.

Ball lately described the band's new album as a homage to the New York club scene they frequented while making their initial records.

He noted that his time in medical care had shaped the group's music.

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

"Our latest tracks are a electronic representation of the sounds in my head from those days.

"Simultaneously, it's about the experiences me and Marc had in the 1980s."

The final mixes were completed only a short time before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for launch in Spring 2026.