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The talented musician, one half of the pioneering 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the pair scored a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album their initial full-length release is regarded as a seminal work of synth-pop.

He later formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his rest at his home in London on October 22, just weeks after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

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

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he stated in 2023. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about five ribs and fractured my arm."

Following contracting pneumonia and developing blood poisoning, he was placed in an induced coma and remained in hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" over the summer, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication next year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we literally finished only a short time ago," stated the singer in a tribute.

"It's so sad as 2026 was all set to be such an uplifting time for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he heard the completed album and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond described his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant musical genius", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

"Many thanks Dave for being an immense part of my life and for the songs you created with me. I couldn't be where I am without you."

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

"Being in a duo with someone is different from being in a group, the bond is incredibly close," he continued.

"That's how it was with us. We went through so many remarkable, incredible, life-affirming moments as a team. 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 put up for adoption when he was a year and a half of age.

He was raised in the seaside town with adoptive parents his caregivers, who changed his first name from his birth name to David, together with his sibling Susan, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both studying art. Fuelled by a mutual passion of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and quickly produced an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an distinctive combination: Ball was the reserved musician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they achieved a rare creative synergy.

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

Their signature song became the UK's second most popular song of the early 80s, shifting millions of copies worldwide. Together with successful tracks by other artists, Human League and Ultravox, it contributed to paved the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The song was also included on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two further top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Professional Journey

Success had its upsides. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having money and travelling, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a music magazine.

But it also caused problems. "Sudden riches allowed we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the boredom" of media interviews and television shows, 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."

During the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also growing distant, but they succeeded to create a second memorable record - the wayward, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another album, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the band to concentrate on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a prosperous solo career, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed dance music with melodic sounds over a long-lasting collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

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

After a further hiatus, they reappeared in recent years, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was intended to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on September 30, that year.

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

Ball recently described the duo's new album as a homage to the New York club scene they visited while making their initial records.

He added that his period in medical care had influenced the group's music.

"I had unusual memories when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a publication.

"The new songs are a digital reflection of the sounds in my mind from that time.

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

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