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Dave Ball, one half of the groundbreaking 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the team achieved a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album their initial full-length release is considered a seminal work of electronic music.

He later formed the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his rest at his residence in London on October 22, only a short time after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

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

"I ended up injure myself significantly," he stated in 2023. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my back and fractured about multiple ribs and broke my arm."

After contracting pneumonia and suffering from blood poisoning, he was placed in an induced coma and remained in the hospital for seven months.

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits mentally" over the warmer months, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is set for publication in the coming year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we literally finished only a short time ago," said the singer in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was all set to be such an uplifting time for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he listened to the completed album and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

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

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

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, also paid tribute, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".

"Forming a partnership with someone is different from being in a group, the bond is very tight," he added.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many remarkable, extraordinary, memorable experiences together. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

Born into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.

He was raised in the seaside town with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his first name from Paul to David, alongside his sibling his sister, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both learning fine arts. Fuelled by a mutual passion of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and promptly produced an extended play.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an unusual combination: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a unique creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk appear on BBC program a popular series, and began to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the UK's second most popular song of the early 80s, shifting 21 million units worldwide. Alongside successful tracks by Gary Numan, Human League and electronic acts, it helped cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The track was also included on their first album, their initial LP, which spawned two further top five singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Professional Journey

Fame had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to afford my initial property, having money and travelling, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball recently told with a publication.

But it also caused problems. "Newfound wealth allowed we could purchase newfound drugs to relieve the boredom" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.

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

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

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

Almond went on to have a prosperous solo career, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined acid house with melodic sounds over a long-lasting collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell came back together in 2001, producing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following a further hiatus, they returned in 2018, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was supposed to be a farewell show at the large venue on September 30, 2018.

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

Ball lately characterized the band's new album as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while recording their first two albums.

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

"I had 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 head from that time.

"In parallel, it's about the experiences me and Marc had in the 1980s."

The final mixes were finished only days before Ball died. It is due for launch in the spring of 2026.