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The talented musician, a key member of the groundbreaking 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the team scored a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a classic of electronic music.

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

Ball passed away calmly in his rest at his residence in London on October 22, just weeks after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.

Recent Health Challenges

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

"I managed to injure myself quite a bit," he commented in 2023. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my spine and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my arm."

Following contracting a lung infection and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an induced coma and remained in hospital for half a year.

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

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

"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was all set to be such an uplifting time for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he listened to the completed album and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

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

"Many thanks Dave for being an immense aspect of my life and for the music you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without you."

Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "steadfast support".

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

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, incredible, life-affirming experiences together. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

Born into a one-parent family in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was put up for adoption when he was 18 months of age.

He was raised in the seaside town with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his first name from Paul to David, together with his younger sister his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a shared love of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and promptly produced an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

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

Ball had cultivated a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on BBC science show a popular series, and began to marry moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second most popular song of 1981, selling 21 million units worldwide. Alongside hits by Gary Numan, Human League and electronic acts, it contributed to cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

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

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

Professional Journey

Success had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to afford my initial property, having financial security and travelling, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball recently told with a music magazine.

But it also caused challenges. "Newfound wealth meant we could purchase substances to alleviate the boredom" of press appearances and television shows, Ball said.

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

Amidst the party-filled existence, the duo were also growing distant, but they managed to create 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 band to focus on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a prosperous solo career, including 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 partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, releasing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following another hiatus, they reappeared in 2018, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on 30 September, that year.

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

Ball recently described the duo's upcoming release as a homage to the New York club scene they frequented while recording their first two albums.

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

"I experienced unusual memories when I was in and out of the hospital because I was on morphine," he told a publication.

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

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

The last versions were completed only a short time before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for launch in the spring of 2026.