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Dave Ball, one half of the pioneering 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has died 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 1984, and their debut album their initial full-length release is regarded as a seminal work of electronic music.

He later formed the innovative electronic act The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with 1994's Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, just weeks after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

At that show, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a spate of health issues.

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

After catching pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an induced coma and stayed in hospital for seven months.

Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place emotionally" over the summer, as he worked on a new album with Almond, called Danceteria, which is set for release in the coming year.

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

"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was all set to be such an positive time for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he listened to the finished record and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond described his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.

"Thank you Dave for being an significant aspect of my life and for the songs you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without you."

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".

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

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

Early Life

Born into a single-parent household in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months old.

He was raised in the seaside town with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his first name from Paul to his adopted name, alongside his sibling his sister, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and promptly produced an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the quiet musician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all sparkle and makeup; but they attained a rare creative synergy.

Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after watching the band Kraftwerk appear on a television program Tomorrow's World, and began to combine moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second most popular song of the early 80s, shifting 21 million units worldwide. Alongside successful tracks by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the path for the electronic music style of the 80s.

The song was also included on their first album, their initial LP, which spawned two additional top five hits: 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

Success had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to afford my first home, having money and travelling, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball recently shared with a music magazine.

But it also caused problems. "Newfound wealth meant we could purchase newfound drugs to relieve the boredom" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball explained.

"I realize that's a common saying, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it works for so many bands."

Amidst the party-filled existence, the duo were also growing distant, but they succeeded to create a follow-up classic album - the wayward, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released another LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the band to focus on other projects.

Almond proceeded to have a successful solo career, featuring 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 enduring partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell came back together in the early 2000s, producing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following a further hiatus, they reappeared in 2018, releasing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on 30 September, that year.

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

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

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

"I had strange recollections when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a music magazine.

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

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

The last versions were finished only a short time before Ball died. It is scheduled for launch in the spring of 2026.