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

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the team scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record their initial full-length release is regarded as a classic of synth-pop.

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

Ball passed away peacefully in his rest at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, just weeks after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

At that performance, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a spate of ill-health.

"I managed to damage myself significantly," he stated in 2023. "I broke spinal bones in my back and cracked about five ribs and broke my arm."

Following contracting a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and remained in the hospital for half a year.

However, he had been in "high spirits mentally" during the warmer months, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication next year.

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

"It's so sad as next year was completely planned to be such an positive time for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

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

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

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

"Being in a partnership with someone is different from joining a group, the connection is incredibly close," he added.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many remarkable, incredible, life-affirming experiences as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months of age.

He was raised in the seaside town with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his given name from Paul to his adopted name, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was also adopted.

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

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual combination: Ball was the quiet musician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a unique 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 dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second most popular single of 1981, shifting millions of units worldwide. Together with successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped paved the path for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

The song was also included 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 album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at the second position in the following year.

Career Highlights

Fame had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to afford my first home, having financial security and exploring, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball recently told with a publication.

But it also presented problems. "Sudden riches meant we could afford substances to alleviate the monotony" of media interviews and television shows, Ball explained.

"I know that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it works for so many musicians."

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

They released one more album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to focus on individual endeavors.

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 melodic sounds over a long-lasting collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

After a further hiatus, they returned in recent years, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a final performance at the large venue on September 30, 2018.

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

Ball lately described the band's upcoming release as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they frequented while recording their initial records.

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

"I had strange recollections when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on morphine," 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 experiences we got up to in the 1980s."

The last versions were finished only days before Ball died. It is due for release in Spring 2026.