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

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the team achieved a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a seminal work of synth-pop.

He later founded the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly 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 Festival in the Thames-side town.

Recent Health Challenges

During that show, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a spate of ill-health.

"I ended up damage myself quite a bit," he commented in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and fractured about five ribs and fractured my wrist."

After catching a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and remained in the hospital for seven months.

Nevertheless, 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 scheduled for publication next year.

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

"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was completely planned to be such an positive time for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he heard the completed album and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond described his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant musical genius", stating: "He was the core essence 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 music you created with me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, also paid tribute, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".

"Being in a duo with someone is different from joining a group, the connection is very tight," he continued.

"That's how it was with us. We went through so many remarkable, incredible, memorable experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was 18 months old.

He grew up in the seaside town with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his first name from Paul to his adopted name, alongside his sibling his sister, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both studying art. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and promptly produced an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an distinctive combination: Ball was the reserved musician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they achieved a unique creative synergy.

Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk perform on BBC program a popular series, and started to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second most popular song of the early 80s, selling millions of copies globally. Together with successful tracks by Gary Numan, Human League and Ultravox, it helped paved the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The track was also featured on their first album, their initial LP, which spawned two further top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Professional Journey

Success had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my initial property, having money and exploring, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball recently told with a music magazine.

But it also caused problems. "Newfound wealth allowed we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the monotony" of press appearances and television shows, Ball said.

"I know that's a cliché, but it's a cliché for a valid cause, because it applies for so many musicians."

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

They released another LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to focus on other projects.

Almond went on to have a prosperous solo career, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who mixed acid house with ambient pop over a long-lasting collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

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

After another hiatus, they returned in recent years, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was supposed to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.

However, they stayed together, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball lately described the duo's new album as a tribute to the New York club scene they frequented while recording 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 coming and going of hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a music magazine.

"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the noises in my head from those days.

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

The final mixes were finished only days before Ball died. It is due for release in Spring 2026.