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

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the duo scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a classic of electronic music.

He subsequently formed the innovative techno group The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

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

Recent Health Challenges

At that performance, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the last two years, following a spate of health issues.

"I managed to injure myself quite a bit," he commented in a recent interview. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."

Following contracting a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was put in an induced coma and remained in hospital for seven months.

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits mentally" during the warmer months, as he was developing a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for release in the coming year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we actually finished only a short time ago," stated 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 fact that he heard the finished record and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond referred to his bandmate 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.

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

Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

"Being in a partnership with someone is different from joining a band, the connection is incredibly close," he continued.

"That's how it was with us. We went through so many remarkable, incredible, life-affirming moments together. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

Born into a one-parent family in Chester in the late 50s, 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 changed his first name from his birth name to David, alongside his younger sister his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

He encountered Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both learning fine arts. Fuelled by a shared love of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and quickly recorded an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

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

Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on a television program a popular series, and began to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second most popular song of 1981, shifting 21 million units globally. Alongside hits by other artists, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it contributed to cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

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

They followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at the second position in 1982.

Career Highlights

Fame had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my initial property, having money and exploring, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball not long ago shared with a music magazine.

But it also caused problems. "Sudden riches allowed we could purchase substances to alleviate the boredom" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.

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

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also growing distant, but they managed to produce a follow-up classic album - the unconventional, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to concentrate on other projects.

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

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, producing the Top 40 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 staging what was intended to be a farewell show at the large venue on 30 September, that year.

Yet, they stayed together, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball recently characterized the band's new album as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while making their initial records.

He noted that his time in hospital had influenced the band's sound.

"I experienced strange recollections when I was in and out of the hospital because I was on morphine," he explained to a publication.

"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the noises in my head from that time.

"Simultaneously, it's about the times we got up to in the 1980s."

The final mixes were finished only a short time before Ball passed away. It is due for release in the spring of 2026.