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Dave Ball, a key member of the groundbreaking 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the team scored a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a classic of electronic music.

He later founded the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who secured chart success with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

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

Recent Health Challenges

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

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he stated in a recent interview. "I broke lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about five ribs and fractured my arm."

After contracting pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and remained in hospital for seven months.

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

"He was focused and so happy with the latest project that we actually finished only a short time ago," stated the singer in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was all set to be such an positive year 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."

Tributes

Almond referred to his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant musical genius", 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 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 distinct from being in a group, the bond is very tight," he continued.

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, memorable experiences as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

Brought into the world into a one-parent family in Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was 18 months old.

He was raised in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his first name from his birth name to his adopted name, together with his sibling Susan, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both studying fine arts. Fuelled by a shared love of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the very year, and promptly recorded an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an unusual combination: Ball was the reserved musician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all sparkle and makeup; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had developed a interest with synthesizers after viewing Kraftwerk appear on a television program Tomorrow's World, and started to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular song of the early 80s, shifting 21 million copies globally. Alongside successful tracks by other artists, Human League and Ultravox, it helped cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

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

They followed the album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which peaked at number two in 1982.

Career Highlights

Fame had its upsides. "I loved being able to purchase my first home, having money and travelling, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a music magazine.

But it also presented challenges. "Newfound wealth allowed we could afford newfound drugs to alleviate the monotony" of press appearances and television shows, Ball explained.

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

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also drifting apart, but they managed to create a second classic album - the unconventional, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more album, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to focus on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a prosperous individual path, including the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed dance music with ambient pop over a long-lasting partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, releasing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following another break, they reappeared in recent years, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a farewell show at the large venue on 30 September, 2018.

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

Ball lately described the duo's upcoming release as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they frequented while recording their first two albums.

He added that his time in medical care had influenced the band's sound.

"I experienced unusual memories when I was in and out of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a publication.

"The new songs are a digital reflection of the noises in my mind from those days.

"Simultaneously, it's about the times we had in the 80s."

The last versions were completed only days before Ball passed away. It is due for release in Spring 2026.