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The talented musician, a key member of the pioneering 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the pair achieved a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record their initial full-length release is considered a seminal work of electronic music.

He subsequently founded the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who secured chart success with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his sleep 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

At that performance, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a period of health issues.

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

After contracting a lung infection and developing sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and remained in the hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "high spirits mentally" over the summer, as he was developing a new album with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication in the coming year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the latest project that we actually finished only a short time ago," said the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was completely planned to be such an positive time for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he listened to the finished record and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

Almond referred to his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", stating: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.

"Thank you Dave for being an immense part 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 "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".

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

"That's how it was with us. We went through so many extraordinary, incredible, memorable moments as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

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

He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from Paul to David, alongside his sibling Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both studying art. Inspired by a shared love of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the very year, and quickly produced an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an unusual pairing: Ball was the quiet technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and makeup; but they achieved a rare musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with electronic instruments after watching the band Kraftwerk perform on a television program a popular series, and began to marry dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular song of 1981, shifting 21 million copies worldwide. Alongside successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands 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 additional top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the album up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at the second position in 1982.

Professional Journey

Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my first home, having money and exploring, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a music magazine.

But it also presented challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford newfound drugs to relieve the monotony" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball explained.

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

During the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also growing distant, but they succeeded to produce a follow-up memorable record - the unconventional, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

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

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

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, producing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following another break, they returned in 2018, issuing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a farewell show at the large venue on September 30, that year.

Yet, they stayed active, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.

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

He added that his period in medical care had shaped the band's sound.

"I experienced strange recollections when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a publication.

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

"In parallel, it's about the experiences me and Marc got up to in the 1980s."

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