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Dave Ball, a key member of the pioneering 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the pair achieved a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a classic of electronic music.

He later founded the innovative techno group The Grid, who secured chart success with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his rest at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, just weeks after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.

Recent Health Challenges

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

"I managed to damage myself quite a bit," he commented in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my back and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my arm."

Following catching pneumonia and developing sepsis, he was put in an induced coma and stayed in the hospital for seven months.

Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place emotionally" during the warmer months, as he was developing a new album with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for release in the coming year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the latest project that we actually completed only a few days ago," stated the vocalist 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 listened to the completed album and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond referred to his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our body of work.

"Many thanks Dave for being an significant aspect of my life and for the songs you gave me. I wouldn't be where I am without your influence."

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

"Forming a duo with someone is distinct from joining a group, the bond is very tight," he added.

"That's how it was with us. We went through so many extraordinary, extraordinary, life-affirming experiences as a team. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months old.

He grew up in Blackpool with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his first name from Paul to David, together with his sibling his sister, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both studying art. Inspired by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and quickly recorded an EP.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the reserved musician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they attained a unique creative synergy.

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

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling single of the early 80s, shifting millions of copies worldwide. Together with hits by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it helped cleared the way for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

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

They continued the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which peaked at the second position in 1982.

Career Highlights

Fame had its upsides. "I loved being able to purchase my first home, having financial security and exploring, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball not long ago told with a publication.

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

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

During the party-filled existence, the duo were also growing distant, but they succeeded to produce a follow-up memorable record - the wayward, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released one more LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to focus on other projects.

Almond went on to have a successful individual path, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined acid house with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

After a further break, they returned in 2018, releasing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was supposed to be a farewell show at the large venue on 30 September, that year.

Yet, they stayed active, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.

Ball recently characterized the band's upcoming release as a homage to the NYC nightlife they frequented while making their first two albums.

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

"I had strange recollections when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on morphine," he told a publication.

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

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

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