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Dave Ball, one half of the innovative 1980s synth-pop duo Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the duo achieved a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a seminal work of electronic music.

He later founded the innovative electronic act The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with 1994's Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

During that show, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a period of ill-health.

"I managed to injure myself significantly," he stated in a recent interview. "I broke lower vertebrae in my spine and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."

After contracting a lung infection and developing sepsis, he was put in an induced coma and remained in hospital for half a year.

However, he had been in "a great place emotionally" over the warmer months, as he worked on a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is set for release next year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the latest project that we literally finished only a short time ago," said the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was completely planned to be such an uplifting year for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he listened to the finished record and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

Almond described his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant musical genius", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

"Thank you 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 you."

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

"Being in a duo with someone is distinct from joining a group, the connection is incredibly close," he continued.

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

Formative Years

Born into a one-parent family in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months of age.

He grew up in the seaside town with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his first name from Paul to David, together with his sibling Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He encountered Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both studying art. Inspired by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the very year, and promptly recorded an EP.

Musical Partnership

The duo were an unusual combination: Ball was the quiet technician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they achieved a rare creative synergy.

Ball had developed a interest with electronic instruments after watching the band Kraftwerk appear on a television science show Tomorrow's World, and began to marry moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second most popular single of the early 80s, shifting millions of copies worldwide. Alongside hits by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped paved the path for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

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

They followed the album up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at the second position in 1982.

Professional Journey

Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having money and travelling, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball recently shared with a music magazine.

But it also caused problems. "Newfound wealth meant we could afford newfound drugs to relieve the monotony" of press appearances and television shows, Ball said.

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

During the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also growing distant, but they succeeded to create a second memorable record - the wayward, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released another LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to concentrate on individual endeavors.

Almond proceeded to have a successful solo career, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined acid house with melodic sounds over a enduring partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, releasing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following a further hiatus, they reappeared in 2018, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was intended to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.

However, they stayed together, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball lately described the band's new album as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they visited while making their first two albums.

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

"I had strange recollections when I was in and out of hospital because I was on morphine," he told a music magazine.

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

"Simultaneously, it's about the times we got up to in the 80s."

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