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

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

He later formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who secured chart success with 1994's Swamp Thing.

Ball died peacefully in his sleep at his residence in London on October 22, just weeks after performing a featured performance 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, after a spate of ill-health.

"I ended up damage myself significantly," he stated in 2023. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my back and fractured about multiple ribs and broke my arm."

Following catching a lung infection and developing blood poisoning, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "a great place mentally" over the summer, as he worked on a new album with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for release in the coming year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we actually completed only a short time ago," said the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's so sad as 2026 was all set to be such an uplifting time for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the completed album and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

Almond referred to his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", adding: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.

"Many thanks Dave for being an immense aspect of my life and for the music you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."

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

"Being in a partnership with someone is different from joining a band, the connection is incredibly close," he continued.

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many remarkable, incredible, life-affirming moments as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

Born into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in the late 50s, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half of age.

He was raised in the seaside town with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his first name from his birth name to David, alongside his sibling his sister, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and promptly recorded an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

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

Ball had cultivated a fascination with synthesizers after watching the band Kraftwerk perform on a television science show a popular series, and began to marry moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular song of 1981, selling 21 million units worldwide. Together with successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it contributed to cleared the way for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The track was also featured on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which spawned two additional top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Career Highlights

Success had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my initial property, having financial security and travelling, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball not long ago told with a publication.

But it also caused challenges. "Sudden riches meant we could afford substances to alleviate the boredom" of press appearances and television shows, Ball said.

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

Amidst the party-filled existence, the pair were also growing distant, but they managed to create a second memorable record - the wayward, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to concentrate on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a successful individual path, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined dance music with melodic sounds over a long-lasting partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell came back together in 2001, producing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

After a further hiatus, they returned in recent years, 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 large venue on 30 September, 2018.

Yet, they remained together, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.

Ball lately described the duo's upcoming release as a tribute to the New York club scene they frequented while making their initial records.

He added that his period in hospital had shaped the group's music.

"I experienced unusual memories 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 digital reflection of the sounds in my mind from those days.

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

The last versions were completed only a short time before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.