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

Together with singer Marc Almond, the pair scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a seminal work of synth-pop.

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

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

Recent Health Challenges

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

"I ended up injure myself significantly," he stated in a recent interview. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my spine and cracked about five ribs and broke my arm."

Following catching a lung infection and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an induced coma and remained in the hospital for seven months.

Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place mentally" during the summer, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is set for publication next year.

"He was concentrated and very pleased with the latest project that we actually finished only a short time ago," stated the singer in a heartfelt message.

"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was completely planned to be such an positive time for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he listened to the completed album and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond described his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", adding: "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 part of my life and for the music you created with me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".

"Forming a partnership with someone is distinct from joining a group, the connection is very tight," he added.

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, life-affirming experiences together. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

Brought into the world into a one-parent family in the city of Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.

He grew up in the seaside town with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his first name from his birth name to David, together with his sibling Susan, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both studying fine arts. Fuelled by a shared love of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and quickly produced an EP.

Creative Collaboration

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

Ball had developed a interest with synthesizers after viewing Kraftwerk perform on BBC science show Tomorrow's World, and started to marry moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling song of 1981, selling 21 million copies worldwide. Together with hits by other artists, Human League and Ultravox, it helped paved the way for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

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

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

Professional Journey

Success had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to purchase 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 caused problems. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford substances to alleviate the monotony" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball said.

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

Amidst the party-filled existence, the duo were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to produce a second classic album - the unconventional, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

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

Almond proceeded to have a successful individual path, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who mixed acid house with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

After another break, they reappeared in 2018, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was intended to be a final performance at the O2 Arena on September 30, that year.

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

Ball lately described the band's new album as a homage to the NYC nightlife they frequented while making their initial records.

He added that his time in hospital had influenced the group's music.

"I had strange recollections when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a music magazine.

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

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

The final mixes were finished only a short time before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.