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The talented musician, one half of the groundbreaking 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the team scored a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a classic of synth-pop.

He subsequently founded the pioneering techno group The Grid, who secured chart success with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball died peacefully in his sleep at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

During that performance, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a spate of health issues.

"I managed to damage myself quite a bit," he stated in a recent interview. "I broke spinal bones in my back and fractured about five ribs and fractured my arm."

Following contracting pneumonia and developing 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 summer, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for release next year.

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

"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he listened to the completed album and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond described his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", adding: "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 songs you created with me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."

Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

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

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

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a one-parent family in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was put up for adoption when he was 18 months old.

He was raised in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his given name from Paul to David, alongside his younger sister his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

He encountered Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both studying fine arts. Fuelled by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and promptly recorded an EP.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an distinctive combination: Ball was the reserved technician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and makeup; but they achieved a rare creative synergy.

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

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling song of 1981, selling millions of copies worldwide. Together with hits by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped cleared the path for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The song was also featured on their full-length debut, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned two additional top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in 1982.

Career Highlights

Success had its upsides. "I loved 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 presented problems. "Newfound wealth allowed we could purchase substances to relieve the boredom" of press appearances and television shows, Ball said.

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

During the party-filled existence, the duo were also growing distant, but they succeeded to create a follow-up memorable record - the unconventional, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to focus on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a prosperous individual path, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed acid house with melodic sounds over a enduring collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell came back together in the early 2000s, releasing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following another hiatus, they returned in recent years, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.

Yet, they stayed together, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball recently characterized the band's new album as a homage to the NYC nightlife they visited while making their first two albums.

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

"I experienced unusual memories when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a publication.

"Our latest tracks are a electronic representation of the sounds in my mind from those days.

"Simultaneously, it's about the times me and Marc had in the 1980s."

The final mixes were finished only a short time before Ball died. It is scheduled for launch in Spring 2026.