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

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the team scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a seminal work of synth-pop.

He later founded the pioneering techno group The Grid, who achieved chart success with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his rest at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

At that show, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the last two years, following a period of health issues.

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

After contracting a lung infection and developing sepsis, he was placed in an induced coma and remained in the hospital for half a year.

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits mentally" during the summer, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for release in the coming year.

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

"It's so sad as next year was completely planned to be such an uplifting time for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he listened to the completed album and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

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

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

Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".

"Being in a partnership with someone is distinct from joining a band, the connection is very tight," he added.

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

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half of age.

He was raised in Blackpool with his new family his caregivers, who altered his given name from Paul to his adopted name, together with his younger sister his sister, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both learning fine arts. Fuelled by a mutual passion of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and quickly recorded an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an unusual pairing: Ball was the reserved musician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a unique creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a fascination with synthesizers after viewing the band Kraftwerk appear on BBC program a popular series, and began to marry moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second most popular single of the early 80s, selling 21 million units globally. Alongside successful tracks by Gary Numan, Human League and Ultravox, it helped paved the way for the electronic music style of the 80s.

The song was also included on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned two additional high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the album up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at the second position in the following year.

Career Highlights

Fame had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my first home, having money and exploring, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago told with a publication.

But it also presented challenges. "Sudden riches meant we could afford substances to alleviate the boredom" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball explained.

"I know that's a cliché, but it's a cliché for a good reason, because it applies for so many bands."

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, 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 put out another LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to focus on other projects.

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

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, releasing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.

After another hiatus, they returned in 2018, releasing the original singles 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, that year.

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

Ball recently described the duo's new album as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they visited while recording their first two albums.

He added that his period in medical care had influenced the band's sound.

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

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

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

The final mixes were completed only days before Ball died. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.