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Dave Ball, one half of the innovative 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the pair scored a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album their initial full-length release is considered a classic of synth-pop.

He later 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 home in London on October 22, just weeks after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

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

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he stated in 2023. "I broke lower vertebrae in my back and fractured about multiple ribs and broke my wrist."

Following catching pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an induced coma and stayed in hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "a great place mentally" during the summer, as he was developing a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is set for release in the coming year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we actually finished only a few days ago," stated the vocalist in a heartfelt message.

"It's so sad as next year was all set to be such an positive time for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he listened to the completed album and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

Almond described his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", adding: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.

"Thank you Dave for being an significant aspect of my life and for the music you gave me. I wouldn't be where I am without your influence."

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".

"Forming a partnership with someone is distinct from joining a group, the connection is very tight," he added.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many extraordinary, incredible, memorable moments together. Thank you, Dave."

Formative Years

Born into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given 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 given name from Paul to his adopted name, together with his younger sister Susan, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both studying art. Fuelled by a shared love of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and quickly produced an EP.

Musical Partnership

The duo were an distinctive combination: Ball was the quiet technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they achieved a unique creative synergy.

Ball had developed a interest with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk perform on a television program a popular series, and started to combine dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular single of the early 80s, shifting millions of copies worldwide. Together with successful tracks by other artists, Human League and Ultravox, it helped cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The song was also featured on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two additional top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Professional Journey

Fame had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to afford my first home, having financial security and travelling, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball not long ago shared with a music magazine.

But it also caused problems. "Newfound wealth meant we could afford substances to relieve the boredom" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball said.

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

During the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also growing distant, but they managed to create a second memorable record - the wayward, 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 focus on other projects.

Almond went on to have a successful solo career, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed dance music with melodic sounds over a long-lasting collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

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

After a further hiatus, they returned in 2018, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a farewell show at the large venue on 30 September, that year.

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

Ball recently characterized the duo's upcoming release as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they frequented while making their first two albums.

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

"I had strange recollections 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 head from those days.

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

The last versions were finished only a short time before Ball died. It is scheduled for release in the spring of 2026.