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Dave Ball, a key member of the groundbreaking 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Together with singer Marc Almond, the team scored a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record their initial full-length release is regarded as a classic of synth-pop.

He subsequently formed the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball died calmly in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, only a short time after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

At that show, Ball appeared in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a period of health issues.

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

After catching pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and remained in hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" during the summer, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.

"He was focused and so happy with the new album that we actually finished only a few days ago," said the vocalist in a heartfelt message.

"It's so sad as next year was completely planned to be such an uplifting time for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the completed album and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

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.

"Thank you Dave for being an significant part of my existence and for the music you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."

Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

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

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, life-affirming moments together. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

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

He was raised in Blackpool with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from his birth name to David, together with his younger sister his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both studying art. Fuelled by a shared love of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and promptly produced an EP.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an distinctive combination: Ball was the quiet musician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all glitter and makeup; but they achieved a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing Kraftwerk perform on BBC science show Tomorrow's World, and began to combine moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling single of 1981, shifting 21 million copies globally. Alongside successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

The track was also included on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which produced two further top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Professional Journey

Success had its upsides. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having money and travelling, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a music magazine.

But it also caused problems. "Sudden riches meant we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the monotony" of media interviews and television shows, Ball explained.

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

Amidst the party-filled existence, the pair were also growing distant, but they managed to create a follow-up classic album - the unconventional, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another album, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to focus on individual endeavors.

Almond proceeded to have a successful individual path, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed dance music with melodic sounds over a long-lasting collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, releasing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.

After a further break, they returned in recent years, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was supposed to be a final performance at the O2 Arena on September 30, that year.

However, they stayed active, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball recently described the duo's upcoming release as a homage to the NYC nightlife they visited while recording their first two albums.

He added that his time in hospital had shaped the band's sound.

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

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

"In parallel, it's about the times we had in the 80s."

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