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

Together with singer Marc Almond, the pair achieved a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album their initial full-length release is considered a classic of electronic music.

He subsequently formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who achieved chart success with 1994's Swamp Thing.

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

Recent Health Challenges

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

"I ended up damage myself significantly," he commented in a recent interview. "I broke lower vertebrae in my spine and fractured about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."

After contracting pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an induced coma and stayed in hospital for seven months.

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" during the summer, as he worked on a new album with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for publication in the coming year.

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

"It's so sad as 2026 was all set to be such an positive year for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he listened to the finished record and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

Almond described his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

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

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

"Forming a duo with someone is different from joining a band, the connection is very tight," he added.

"That's how it was with us. We went through so many extraordinary, extraordinary, life-affirming moments together. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

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

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

He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both learning art. Inspired 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 distinctive combination: Ball was the reserved musician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they achieved a unique creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with electronic instruments after viewing Kraftwerk appear on a television program a popular series, and started to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the UK's second biggest-selling single of the early 80s, shifting millions of copies globally. Together with hits by other artists, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it contributed to paved the path for the electronic music style of the 80s.

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

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

Professional Journey

Fame had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my first home, having money and exploring, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago told with a publication.

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

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

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also drifting apart, but they managed to produce 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 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 created The Grid, who combined dance music with melodic sounds over a enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, 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 supposed to be a final performance at the large venue on 30 September, that year.

Yet, they remained together, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.

Ball recently characterized the band's new album as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they frequented while recording their initial records.

He added that his period in medical care had shaped the band's sound.

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

"The new songs are a electronic representation of the noises in my head from that time.

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

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