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Dave Ball, a key member of the pioneering 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the duo scored a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a classic of synth-pop.

He later founded the innovative techno group The Grid, who achieved chart success with 1994's Swamp Thing.

Ball died peacefully in his rest at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

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

"I managed to injure myself significantly," he stated in a recent interview. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and fractured about five ribs and fractured my arm."

Following contracting a lung infection and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in the hospital for seven months.

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

"He was focused and very pleased with the latest project that we literally finished only a few days ago," stated the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's so sad as next year was completely planned to be such an uplifting year for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

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

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

Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

"Forming a duo with someone is different from being in a band, the connection is very tight," he continued.

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

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a single-parent household 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 Blackpool with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from Paul to his adopted name, alongside his sibling his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

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 recorded an EP.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an distinctive combination: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all sparkle and makeup; but they achieved a rare creative synergy.

Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after watching the band Kraftwerk appear on BBC science show Tomorrow's World, and began to combine moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling single of 1981, shifting 21 million copies worldwide. Together with hits by Gary Numan, Human League and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the way for the electronic music style of the 80s.

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

They continued the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which peaked at the second position in 1982.

Professional Journey

Success had its upsides. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having money and travelling, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball recently told with a publication.

But it also presented problems. "Sudden riches meant we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the monotony" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.

"I know 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 duo were also drifting apart, but they managed to create a second memorable record - the unconventional, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

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

Almond went on to have a prosperous individual path, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined acid house with melodic sounds over a long-lasting partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, releasing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

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

Yet, they stayed active, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball recently described the band's upcoming release as a homage to the NYC nightlife they frequented while making their initial records.

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

"I had strange recollections when I was in and out of hospital because I was on morphine," he explained to a publication.

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

"Simultaneously, it's about the times we got up to in the 80s."

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