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

Together with singer Marc Almond, the duo achieved a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a classic of electronic music.

He subsequently founded the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who secured chart success with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

Ball died calmly in his sleep at his residence in London on October 22, just weeks after playing 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 last two years, following a spate of health issues.

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he stated in a recent interview. "I broke lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about five ribs and fractured my arm."

Following contracting a lung infection and suffering from sepsis, he was put 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 was developing a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication in the coming year.

"He was focused and so happy with the latest project that we actually finished only a few days ago," stated the singer in a tribute.

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

Tributes

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

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

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".

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

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, life-affirming moments together. Thank you, Dave."

Formative Years

Born into a one-parent family in Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half 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 his adopted name, together with his sibling Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

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 established Soft Cell the very year, and quickly recorded an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an distinctive combination: Ball was the quiet musician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they achieved a unique creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing Kraftwerk appear on BBC program Tomorrow's World, and began to marry moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling song of 1981, shifting 21 million units worldwide. Alongside successful tracks by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped paved the way for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The track was also featured on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned two further top five singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Career Highlights

Fame had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my first home, having money and travelling, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball not long ago told with a publication.

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

"I realize that's a common saying, but it's a truism for a good reason, because it works for so many bands."

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to produce a second classic album - the wayward, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to concentrate on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a successful solo career, featuring 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 long-lasting partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

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

After a further break, they reappeared in 2018, 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 large venue on September 30, that year.

However, they stayed active, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball lately described the duo's upcoming release as a homage to the New York club scene they frequented while recording their first two albums.

He added that his period in hospital had influenced the band's sound.

"I experienced strange recollections when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on morphine," he explained to a publication.

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

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