Dave Ball, one half of the groundbreaking 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.
Together with singer Marc Almond, the team achieved a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record their initial full-length release is considered a classic of electronic music.
He later founded the innovative techno group The Grid, who secured chart success with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.
Ball passed away calmly in his rest at his residence in London on October 22, just weeks after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.
Health Struggles
During that performance, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a period of ill-health.
"I managed to injure myself significantly," he stated in 2023. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my spine and cracked about five ribs and broke my wrist."
Following catching a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in hospital for half a year.
However, he had been in "a great place mentally" over the summer, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, called Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication next year.
"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we actually finished only a short time ago," stated the vocalist in a tribute.
"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was all set to be such an positive year for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he heard the finished record and believed that it was a masterpiece."
Tributes
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 body of work.
"Thank you Dave for being an immense part of my existence and for the songs you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without your influence."
His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".
"Forming a partnership with someone is distinct from being in a group, the connection is very tight," he added.
"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, extraordinary, memorable experiences as a team. Thank you, Dave."
Formative Years
Brought into the world into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in the late 50s, Ball was put up for adoption when he was 18 months old.
He was raised in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his first name from Paul to David, alongside his sibling his sister, who was similarly welcomed.
He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both studying art. Fuelled by a shared love of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and promptly recorded an EP.
Creative Collaboration
The duo were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the reserved technician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all glitter and makeup; but they achieved a unique creative synergy.
Ball had cultivated a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing Kraftwerk appear on a television program Tomorrow's World, and started to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.
Their signature song became the UK's second biggest-selling song of 1981, selling 21 million copies globally. Together with successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it contributed to paved the path for the electronic music style of the 80s.
The track was also included on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two additional high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They continued the record up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at number two in 1982.
Professional Journey
Fame had its upsides. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having financial security and exploring, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball not long ago told with a publication.
But it also presented problems. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford substances to relieve the boredom" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball said.
"I know that's a common saying, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it works for so many bands."
During the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to create a follow-up classic album - the wayward, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.
They put out one more LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to focus on other projects.
Almond proceeded 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 enduring collaboration.
Later Work and Comebacks
Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, releasing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.
Following another break, 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 final performance at the O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.
Yet, they stayed together, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.
Ball recently described the duo's new album as a tribute to the New York club scene they frequented while recording their initial records.
He noted that his period in hospital had shaped the group's music.
"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 electronic representation of the noises in my mind from those days.
"Simultaneously, it's about the times me and Marc got up to in the 80s."
The last versions were finished only a short time before Ball died. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.
