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Dave Ball, a key member of the innovative 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the team achieved a global success 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 formed the innovative electronic act The Grid, who secured chart success with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball died calmly in his rest at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

During that performance, Ball appeared 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 a recent interview. "I fractured spinal bones in my back and cracked about multiple ribs and broke my arm."

After catching pneumonia and developing blood poisoning, he was put in an induced coma and stayed in hospital for seven months.

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits mentally" during the warmer months, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, called Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.

"He was focused and so happy with the new album that we actually finished only a short time ago," said the vocalist in a heartfelt message.

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

Heartfelt Messages

Almond described his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our body of work.

"Thank you Dave for being an immense part of my life and for the music you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."

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

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

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, memorable moments together. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a one-parent family in Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.

He was raised in Blackpool with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his given name from Paul to David, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both studying art. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and promptly produced an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

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

Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on BBC program a popular series, and began to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling single of the early 80s, shifting millions of copies globally. Alongside successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it contributed to cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The song was also included on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which produced 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 the following year.

Career Highlights

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

But it also presented problems. "Sudden riches meant we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the boredom" of press appearances and television shows, Ball explained.

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

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to create a follow-up classic album - the unconventional, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to concentrate on individual endeavors.

Almond proceeded 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 enduring collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

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

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

However, they stayed together, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball lately characterized the duo's new album as a homage to the NYC nightlife they visited while making their first two albums.

He noted that his period in medical care had influenced the group's music.

"I had 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 noises in my head from that time.

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

The last versions were completed only a short time before Ball died. It is due for release in Spring 2026.