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

Together with singer Marc Almond, the team scored a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a seminal work of synth-pop.

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

Ball passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, only a short time after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in the Thames-side town.

Recent Health Challenges

During that show, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the last two years, following a spate of health issues.

"I managed to damage myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my back and cracked about multiple ribs and broke my wrist."

After catching a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was placed in an induced coma and stayed in hospital for seven months.

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

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

"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was completely planned to be such an uplifting year for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he listened to the finished record and believed 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 very proud of our legacy.

"Thank you Dave for being an immense aspect of my life and for the songs you created with 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 "steadfast support".

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

"That's how it was with us. We went through so many extraordinary, incredible, life-affirming experiences as a team. Thank you, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a one-parent family in Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months of age.

He was raised in the seaside town with adoptive parents his caregivers, who changed his given name from Paul to his adopted name, alongside his sibling Susan, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both learning art. Fuelled by a shared love of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and quickly recorded an EP.

Musical Partnership

The duo were an unusual pairing: Ball was the reserved musician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and makeup; but they attained a unique creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a fascination with synthesizers after viewing the band Kraftwerk appear on BBC science show Tomorrow's World, and began to marry dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second most popular song of the early 80s, selling millions of units worldwide. Alongside hits by other artists, contemporary bands and Ultravox, 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 benefits. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my initial property, having financial security and travelling, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball recently told with a publication.

But it also caused challenges. "Newfound wealth meant we could afford newfound drugs to relieve the monotony" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.

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

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also growing distant, but they managed to produce a second memorable record - the unconventional, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released one more LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to concentrate on other projects.

Almond proceeded to have a prosperous individual path, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined acid house with ambient pop over a long-lasting partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell came back together in the early 2000s, releasing the charting 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 staging what was supposed to be a final performance at the large venue on 30 September, 2018.

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

Ball recently described the duo's new album as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while making their first two albums.

He added that his period in hospital had influenced the band's sound.

"I had unusual memories when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a publication.

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

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

The final mixes were finished only days before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for launch in Spring 2026.