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Dave Ball, one half of the pioneering 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Together with singer Marc Almond, the team achieved a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a classic of electronic music.

He later founded the innovative electronic act The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with 1994's Swamp Thing.

Ball died peacefully in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, only a short time after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in the Thames-side town.

Recent Health Challenges

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

"I ended up damage myself significantly," he stated in a recent interview. "I broke spinal bones in my spine and fractured about five ribs and broke my wrist."

Following contracting a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was put in an induced coma and stayed in the hospital for half a year.

However, he had been in "a great place emotionally" over the warmer months, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for publication next year.

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

"It's so sad as next year was completely planned to be such an positive year for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he heard the finished record and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond referred to his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", stating: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.

"Thank you Dave for being an immense aspect of my existence and for the songs you created with me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."

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

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

"That was the case with us. We went through so many remarkable, extraordinary, memorable experiences as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

Born into a one-parent family in the city of Chester in the late 50s, Ball was put up for adoption when he was 18 months of age.

He grew up in the seaside town with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his first name from Paul to David, together with his sibling his sister, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both studying art. Fuelled by a shared love of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and promptly produced an extended play.

Musical Partnership

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

Ball had developed a interest with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk appear on BBC program a popular series, and began to combine moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the UK's second biggest-selling song of 1981, selling millions of units worldwide. Alongside hits by Gary Numan, Human League and electronic acts, it helped paved the way for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

The song was also featured on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which spawned two additional high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at number two in the following year.

Professional Journey

Fame had its benefits. "I loved being able to afford my initial property, having money and travelling, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball recently shared with a publication.

But it also caused challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could purchase substances to relieve the monotony" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.

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

During the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also growing distant, but they succeeded to produce a second classic album - the wayward, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released one more album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to focus on individual endeavors.

Almond proceeded to have a successful solo career, including the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined acid house with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

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

Following another break, they reappeared in 2018, issuing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was supposed to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on 30 September, that year.

However, they remained together, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball lately characterized the duo's upcoming release as a homage to the New York club scene they frequented while making their first two albums.

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

"I had unusual memories when I was in and out of the hospital because I was on morphine," he told a music magazine.

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

"In parallel, it's about the experiences me and Marc got up to in the 80s."

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