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The talented musician, one half of the groundbreaking 1980s synth-pop duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the team scored a global success 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 formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who achieved chart success with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his rest at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, just weeks after performing 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, after a period of ill-health.

"I managed to injure myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I broke lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about five ribs and broke my arm."

After catching a lung infection and developing sepsis, he was placed in an induced coma and remained in hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" over the summer, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for release in the coming year.

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

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was completely planned to be such an uplifting time for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he listened to the finished record and believed that it was a great piece of work."

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 extremely pleased of our legacy.

"Thank you Dave for being an immense aspect of my life and for the songs you gave me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."

Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".

"Forming a partnership with someone is different from being in a band, the connection is very tight," he added.

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

Early Life

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 was raised in the seaside town with his new family his caregivers, who changed his first name from his birth name to his adopted name, together with his sibling his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both learning fine arts. Inspired by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly recorded an EP.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the quiet technician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a rare creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing the band Kraftwerk appear on BBC science show a popular series, and began to combine dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular single of the early 80s, selling 21 million units globally. Together with hits by other artists, Human League and Ultravox, it helped cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

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

They followed the album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which peaked at the second position in 1982.

Professional Journey

Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to afford my initial property, having financial security and exploring, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball not long ago shared with a music magazine.

But it also presented problems. "Newfound wealth meant we could afford newfound drugs to relieve the boredom" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball said.

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

During the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also growing distant, but they managed to produce a follow-up memorable record - the wayward, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released another LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the band to concentrate on other projects.

Almond proceeded to have a prosperous solo career, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined dance music with ambient pop 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.

After another break, they returned in 2018, releasing 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 30 September, 2018.

Yet, they stayed active, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.

Ball recently characterized the band's upcoming release as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while making their initial records.

He noted that his period in medical care had shaped the band's sound.

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

"The new songs are a electronic representation of the sounds in my head from that time.

"In parallel, it's about the experiences me and Marc got up to in the 1980s."

The final mixes were completed only days before Ball passed away. It is due for launch in Spring 2026.