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The talented musician, one half of the groundbreaking 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the team scored a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album their initial full-length release is considered a seminal work of synth-pop.

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

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

Health Struggles

During that show, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a spate of ill-health.

"I managed to damage myself quite a bit," he commented in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and cracked about five ribs and broke my wrist."

After contracting pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an induced coma and stayed in the hospital for half a year.

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" over the warmer months, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, called Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the latest project that we actually completed only a short time ago," stated the vocalist 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 heard the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

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

"Many thanks Dave for being an significant aspect of my existence 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 "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".

"Forming a duo with someone is different from joining a group, the bond is incredibly close," he continued.

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, extraordinary, life-affirming moments as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

Born into a single-parent household 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 first name from Paul to David, alongside his sibling Susan, who was also adopted.

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

Musical Partnership

The duo were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the quiet musician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they achieved a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with synthesizers after watching the band Kraftwerk appear on a television science show Tomorrow's World, and began to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular song of the early 80s, shifting millions of units worldwide. Together with hits by other artists, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it helped paved the path for the electronic music style of the 80s.

The song was also included on their first album, their initial LP, which produced two further high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the album up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in 1982.

Career Highlights

Fame had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my initial property, having financial security and travelling, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball recently told with a music magazine.

But it also presented problems. "Newfound wealth meant we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the boredom" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball explained.

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

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also drifting apart, but they managed to create a follow-up classic album - the wayward, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to focus on other projects.

Almond went on to have a successful solo career, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed acid house with melodic sounds over a enduring collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

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

Following another break, they reappeared in recent years, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a final performance at the large venue on September 30, 2018.

Yet, they remained together, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball recently described the duo's upcoming release as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they visited while recording 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 told a music magazine.

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

"Simultaneously, it's about the times me and Marc had in the 1980s."

The last versions were completed only days before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for launch in the spring of 2026.