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Dave Ball, a key member of the groundbreaking 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the pair scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a classic of electronic music.

He later formed the innovative electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away 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 the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

During that performance, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the last two years, after a spate of health issues.

"I managed to injure myself significantly," he commented in a recent interview. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and fractured about five ribs and broke my wrist."

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

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

"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we literally completed only a few days ago," stated the singer in a heartfelt message.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he heard the completed album and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond referred to his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant musical genius", stating: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.

"Thank you Dave for being an immense 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, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "steadfast support".

"Being in a duo with someone is different from being in a band, the connection is very tight," he continued.

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

Early Life

Brought into the world into a one-parent family in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.

He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who changed his given name from Paul to David, alongside his sibling Susan, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both learning fine arts. Fuelled by a shared love of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the same year, and promptly recorded an extended play.

Musical Partnership

The duo were an unusual pairing: Ball was the quiet technician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a rare musical alchemy.

Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after watching the band Kraftwerk perform on BBC science show a popular series, and began to combine moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular single of 1981, selling 21 million copies worldwide. Alongside successful tracks by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it helped paved the way for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The song was also included on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned two additional high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Career Highlights

Fame had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my first home, having money and travelling, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball not long ago told with a music magazine.

But it also presented challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could purchase substances to alleviate the boredom" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.

"I know that's a common saying, but it's a cliché for a good reason, because it applies for so many musicians."

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

They put out another album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the band to focus on other projects.

Almond proceeded to have a successful solo career, including the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined dance music with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

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

After a further hiatus, they returned in recent years, issuing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a farewell show at the large venue on September 30, that year.

However, they stayed active, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball lately characterized the duo's upcoming release as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they visited while making their first two albums.

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

"I experienced 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 electronic representation of the noises in my mind from those days.

"In parallel, it's about the times me and Marc had in the 80s."

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