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

Alongside vocalist 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 their initial full-length release is regarded as a seminal work of electronic music.

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

Ball died peacefully in his rest at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

During that performance, Ball appeared in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a period of ill-health.

"I ended up injure myself significantly," he stated in 2023. "I broke lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about five ribs and broke my wrist."

Following contracting a lung infection and developing blood poisoning, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and remained in hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" during the summer, as he was developing a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is set for release next year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we actually finished only a few days ago," stated the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's so sad as 2026 was completely planned to be such an positive time for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he listened to the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond described his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.

"Many thanks Dave for being an immense part of my existence and for the music you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".

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

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many remarkable, incredible, memorable moments together. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was put up for adoption when he was 18 months old.

He was raised in the seaside town with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his given name from his birth name to David, together with his younger sister Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

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

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an distinctive combination: Ball was the quiet technician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all glitter and makeup; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on a television science show Tomorrow's World, and began to combine moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second most popular single of the early 80s, selling millions of units worldwide. Together with successful tracks by other artists, Human League and Ultravox, it helped paved the path for the electronic music style of the 80s.

The song was also included on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which produced two additional high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at number two in 1982.

Professional Journey

Fame had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to afford my first home, having financial security and exploring, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a publication.

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

"I know that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a good reason, because it works for so many musicians."

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

They put out one more LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the band to focus on other projects.

Almond proceeded to have a prosperous solo career, including the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined acid house with melodic sounds over a enduring partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell came back together in 2001, releasing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following another break, they reappeared in recent years, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a final performance at the large venue on 30 September, 2018.

However, they stayed together, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball lately characterized the duo's new album as a tribute to the New York club scene they frequented while recording their initial records.

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

"I experienced unusual memories when I was in and out of 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 experiences me and Marc got up to in the 80s."

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