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

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the team achieved a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a classic of synth-pop.

He later formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

Ball died calmly in his sleep at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after performing a featured performance 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 previous couple of years, following a period of ill-health.

"I ended up injure myself significantly," he commented in a recent interview. "I broke spinal bones in my spine and cracked about five ribs and fractured my wrist."

After contracting a lung infection and developing sepsis, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in hospital for half a year.

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

"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we actually completed only a few days ago," said the singer in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was completely planned to be such an positive time for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he heard the completed album and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond referred to his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", stating: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased 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 your influence."

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".

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

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many remarkable, incredible, life-affirming experiences as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

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

He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his given name from Paul to his adopted name, alongside his younger sister his sister, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both studying art. Fuelled by a mutual passion of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and quickly recorded an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual combination: Ball was the quiet musician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all sparkle and makeup; but they attained a rare musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with electronic instruments after watching Kraftwerk perform on a television program a popular series, and began to marry moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular single of the early 80s, selling 21 million copies globally. Alongside successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it helped paved the path for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

The track was also featured on their first album, their initial LP, which spawned two additional high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the album up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in 1982.

Professional Journey

Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my first home, having money and travelling, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball recently told with a publication.

But it also presented challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the boredom" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball said.

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

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

They released another LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to focus on other projects.

Almond proceeded to have a successful individual path, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined acid house with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, producing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following another break, they reappeared in 2018, issuing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a final performance at the large venue on 30 September, 2018.

However, they remained active, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball recently described the duo's upcoming release as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while making their first two albums.

He added that his period in medical care had shaped the group's music.

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

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

"In parallel, it's about the experiences me and Marc had in the 80s."

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