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

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the pair scored a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a seminal work of electronic music.

He subsequently formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who achieved chart success with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his sleep at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, just weeks after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

At that show, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a spate of ill-health.

"I managed to damage myself quite a bit," he stated in 2023. "I broke lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about multiple ribs and broke my arm."

After catching pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an induced coma and stayed in the hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "a great place mentally" over the warmer months, as he was developing a new album with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for release in the coming year.

"He was focused and so happy with the latest project that we actually completed only a few days ago," stated the vocalist in a heartfelt message.

"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was all set to be such an uplifting time for him, and I take some solace 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 bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", adding: "He was the heart and soul 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 wouldn't be where I am without you."

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

"Being in a partnership with someone is distinct from being in a group, the bond is very tight," he added.

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

Early Life

Born into a one-parent family in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half of age.

He was raised in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his first name from Paul to David, alongside his younger sister 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 established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly produced an extended play.

Musical Partnership

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

Ball had developed a interest with synthesizers after viewing the band Kraftwerk appear on a television program a popular series, and started to combine moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling single of the early 80s, selling 21 million copies globally. Together with successful tracks by other artists, Human League and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the path for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The track was also featured on their full-length debut, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two further high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Career Highlights

Success had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to afford my first home, having financial security and travelling, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball recently shared with a music magazine.

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

"I realize that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a good reason, because it applies for so many musicians."

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also growing distant, but they managed to create a second memorable record - the unconventional, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released another album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to concentrate on other projects.

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

Reunions and Final Projects

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

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

However, they stayed active, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.

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

He noted that his time in medical care had shaped the band's sound.

"I experienced strange recollections when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on morphine," he told a music magazine.

"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the sounds in my mind from that time.

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

The last versions were finished only days before Ball passed away. It is due for launch in Spring 2026.