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Dave Ball, a key member of the innovative 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Together with singer Marc Almond, the pair achieved a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record their initial full-length release is regarded as a classic of electronic music.

He later founded the pioneering techno group The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with 1994's Swamp Thing.

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

Recent Health Challenges

During that show, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the last two years, following a period of health issues.

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he stated in a recent interview. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my arm."

Following catching pneumonia and developing blood poisoning, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in the hospital for seven months.

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

"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we literally finished only a few days ago," said the vocalist in a heartfelt message.

"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was completely planned to be such an uplifting time for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he listened to the finished record and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

Almond referred to his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.

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

Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".

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

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many remarkable, incredible, memorable moments as a team. Thank you, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a one-parent family in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.

He was raised in the seaside town with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his first name from Paul to his adopted name, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both studying art. Inspired by a shared love of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and promptly recorded an EP.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they achieved a rare creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a fascination with synthesizers after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on a television program a popular series, and began to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Their signature song became the UK's second most popular single of the early 80s, selling millions of units worldwide. Together with hits by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped cleared the way for the synth-pop sound 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 separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in the following year.

Career Highlights

Success had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to afford 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 problems. "Newfound wealth meant we could purchase substances to relieve the monotony" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.

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

Amidst the party-filled existence, the pair were also drifting apart, but they managed to create a second memorable record - the unconventional, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released another LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending 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 combined dance music with melodic sounds over a enduring partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, producing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following another hiatus, they reappeared 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 O2 Arena on September 30, that year.

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

Ball lately described the duo's upcoming release as a homage to the New York club scene they frequented while recording their first two albums.

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

"I had unusual memories when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a music magazine.

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

"Simultaneously, it's about the times me and Marc got up to in the 1980s."

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