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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 duo scored a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record their initial full-length release is regarded as a classic of electronic music.

He subsequently formed the innovative techno group The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his rest at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, just weeks after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

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

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he commented in 2023. "I broke spinal bones in my back and fractured about five ribs and fractured my arm."

Following catching a lung infection and developing blood poisoning, he was put in an induced coma and remained in the hospital for half a year.

However, he had been in "a great place emotionally" during the summer, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.

"He was focused and so happy with the latest project that we literally completed only a few days ago," said the singer in a tribute.

"It's so sad as next year was completely planned to be such an uplifting time for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he heard the completed album and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

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

"Many thanks Dave for being an immense aspect of my life and for the music you gave me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."

Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

"Forming a duo with someone is distinct from joining a band, the connection is incredibly close," he added.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many extraordinary, incredible, life-affirming moments together. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world 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 of age.

He was raised in Blackpool with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from his birth name to his adopted name, together with his sibling Susan, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both learning fine arts. Inspired by a shared love of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and promptly recorded an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an distinctive combination: Ball was the quiet musician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all glitter and makeup; but they achieved a rare musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a fascination with electronic instruments after watching the band Kraftwerk perform on a television science show a popular series, and started to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

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

The track was also featured on their full-length debut, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, 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 reached at the second position in the following year.

Professional Journey

Success had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to afford my initial property, having money and travelling, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball recently told with a music magazine.

But it also caused challenges. "Sudden riches meant we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the monotony" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball explained.

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

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also growing distant, but they succeeded to produce a second classic album - the wayward, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released another LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to focus on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a prosperous solo career, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined dance music with ambient pop over a enduring partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, releasing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

After a further hiatus, they returned in 2018, issuing 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 latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.

Ball lately characterized the duo's upcoming release as a homage to the New York club scene they frequented while recording their initial records.

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 pain medication," he told a music magazine.

"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 80s."

The final mixes were completed only days before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for release in the spring of 2026.