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The talented musician, a key member of the innovative 1980s synth-pop duo Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the team achieved a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album their initial full-length release is considered a seminal work of synth-pop.

He later formed the innovative electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with 1994's Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his sleep at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, just weeks after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

At that show, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the last two years, after a period of health issues.

"I managed to damage myself quite a bit," he commented in 2023. "I broke spinal bones in my spine and fractured about five ribs and broke my wrist."

After contracting a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was put in an induced coma and remained in the hospital for seven months.

Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place mentally" during the warmer months, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, called Danceteria, which is scheduled for release in the coming year.

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

"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 fact that he heard the completed album and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond described his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant musical genius", adding: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

"Thank you Dave for being an significant part of my existence and for the songs 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".

"Being in a partnership with someone is different from being in a group, the connection is very tight," he added.

"That's how it was with us. We went through so many extraordinary, incredible, memorable moments together. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

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

He was raised in Blackpool with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his first name from his birth name to his adopted name, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both learning fine arts. Inspired by a shared love of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and quickly recorded an extended play.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an unusual combination: Ball was the quiet musician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all glitter and makeup; but they achieved a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had developed a interest with synthesizers after viewing Kraftwerk perform on BBC science show Tomorrow's World, and started to combine moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Their signature song became the UK's second most popular single of the early 80s, shifting 21 million copies worldwide. Together with successful tracks by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it contributed to paved the path for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

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

They followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at number two in 1982.

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 beauty queen," Ball not long ago told with a publication.

But it also presented challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford newfound drugs to alleviate the boredom" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.

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

Amidst the party-filled existence, the duo were also drifting apart, but they managed to produce a second classic album - the wayward, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released another LP, their 1984 release 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 combined acid house with ambient pop over a long-lasting partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, producing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.

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

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

Ball lately characterized the duo's upcoming release as a tribute to the New York club scene they frequented while recording their first two albums.

He noted that his period in hospital had shaped the band's sound.

"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 those days.

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

The final mixes were completed only a short time before Ball died. It is scheduled for launch in the spring of 2026.