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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.

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the team achieved a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record their initial full-length release is considered a seminal work of electronic music.

He subsequently formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his rest at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

At that show, Ball appeared in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a spate of health issues.

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

Following catching pneumonia and developing sepsis, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "a great place mentally" during the warmer months, as he was developing a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is set for release in the coming year.

"He was concentrated and very pleased with the latest project that we actually completed only a few days ago," stated the singer in a tribute.

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

Heartfelt Messages

Almond described his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our body of work.

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

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, also paid tribute, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

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

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, incredible, memorable moments as a team. Thank you, Dave."

Formative Years

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

He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who changed his given name from his birth name to David, together with his younger sister his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both learning art. Inspired by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and quickly produced an EP.

Musical Partnership

The duo were an unusual pairing: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all glitter and makeup; but they achieved a rare creative synergy.

Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing Kraftwerk perform on BBC program a popular series, and started to combine dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second most popular single of 1981, selling millions of units worldwide. Alongside successful tracks by Gary Numan, Human League and electronic acts, it contributed to paved the path for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

The track was also featured on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which spawned two further high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Career Highlights

Success had its upsides. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having money and travelling, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball recently told with a publication.

But it also caused challenges. "Newfound wealth allowed we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the boredom" of media interviews and TV performances, 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."

During the party-filled existence, the duo were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to produce a second memorable record - the unconventional, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released another LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to focus on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a prosperous solo career, including the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed acid house with melodic sounds over a long-lasting collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell came back together in 2001, producing 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 final performance at the O2 Arena on September 30, that year.

Yet, they remained active, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball recently described the band's new album as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while making their first two albums.

He noted that his time in hospital had shaped the group's music.

"I experienced unusual memories when I was in and out of hospital because I was on morphine," he explained to a music magazine.

"The new songs are a digital reflection of the noises in my mind from those days.

"Simultaneously, it's about the experiences me and Marc got up to in the 80s."

The final mixes were completed only a short time before Ball died. It is scheduled for launch in the spring of 2026.