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Dave Ball, a key member of the innovative 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

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

He subsequently formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with 1994's the hit 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 headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in the Thames-side town.

Recent Health Challenges

During that show, Ball appeared in a mobility chair, as he had for the last two years, after a period of ill-health.

"I ended up injure myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my back and fractured about five ribs and broke my arm."

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

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" during the summer, as he worked on a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is set for release next year.

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

"It's so sad as next year was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he listened to the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond referred to his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", adding: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.

"Thank you Dave for being an significant part of my life and for the music you gave 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".

"Being in a partnership with someone is different from joining a group, the bond is very tight," he continued.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many extraordinary, incredible, life-affirming moments together. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was 18 months of age.

He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his first name from his birth name to David, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both studying art. Fuelled by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and quickly produced an extended play.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an unusual combination: Ball was the quiet technician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all glitter and makeup; but they achieved a rare creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a fascination with electronic instruments after watching Kraftwerk perform on BBC science show a popular series, and started to marry moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling song of the early 80s, selling 21 million copies globally. Alongside hits by Gary Numan, Human League and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the way for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The song was also featured on their first album, their initial LP, which produced two additional top five singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at number two in 1982.

Professional Journey

Success had its upsides. "I loved being able to afford my initial property, having financial security and travelling, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago told with a publication.

But it also presented challenges. "Newfound wealth allowed we could afford newfound drugs to relieve the boredom" of media interviews and television shows, Ball explained.

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

During the party-filled existence, the pair were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to produce a second memorable record - the wayward, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

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

Almond went on to have a successful individual path, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined acid house with melodic sounds over a long-lasting collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

Following a further break, they reappeared in 2018, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on 30 September, that year.

However, they remained active, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

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

He added that his period in hospital had influenced 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 publication.

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

"In parallel, it's about the times we had in the 1980s."

The last versions were finished only a short time before Ball died. It is due for launch in the spring of 2026.