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Dave Ball, one half of the pioneering 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the team scored a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a classic of synth-pop.

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

Ball died peacefully in his sleep at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.

Recent Health Challenges

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

"I managed to injure myself quite a bit," he commented in a recent interview. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my back and fractured about five ribs and fractured my wrist."

After contracting a lung infection and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and remained in the hospital for half a year.

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" during the warmer months, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.

"He was concentrated and very pleased with the new album that we literally completed only a short time ago," said the singer in a heartfelt message.

"It's so sad as 2026 was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

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

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

Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".

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

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, extraordinary, life-affirming moments as a team. Thank you, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.

He grew up in the seaside town with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his first name from his birth name to his adopted name, together with his younger sister his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

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

Musical Partnership

The pair were an distinctive combination: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.

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

Their signature song became the UK's second biggest-selling single of 1981, shifting 21 million units globally. Together with hits by Gary Numan, Human League and Ultravox, it helped cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

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

They followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at number two in the following year.

Professional Journey

Success had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my first home, having financial security and exploring, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball recently told with a music magazine.

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

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

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also drifting apart, but they managed to create a second memorable record - the wayward, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the band to concentrate on other projects.

Almond went on to have a prosperous 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 long-lasting partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell came back together in the early 2000s, releasing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following a further break, they returned in recent years, 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 September 30, 2018.

However, they remained together, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.

Ball lately described the band's new album as a homage 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 experienced unusual memories when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a publication.

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

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

The final mixes were completed only days before Ball died. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.