Dave Ball, one half of the pioneering 1980s synth-pop duo Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.
Alongside singer Marc Almond, the duo achieved 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 later formed the innovative electronic act The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with 1994's Swamp Thing.
Ball passed away calmly 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 performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the last two years, following a spate of ill-health.
"I ended up damage myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I broke spinal bones in my spine and cracked about multiple ribs and broke my arm."
Following contracting a lung infection and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an induced coma and remained in the hospital for seven months.
Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits mentally" during the warmer months, as he worked on a new album with Almond, called Danceteria, which is scheduled for release in the coming year.
"He was concentrated and very pleased with the latest project that we actually finished only a few days ago," said the singer in a heartfelt message.
"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was completely planned to be such an uplifting time for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he heard the completed album and felt that it was a great piece of work."
Tributes
Almond described his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", adding: "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 significant aspect of my life and for the music you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without you."
His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".
"Being in a duo with someone is different from being in a band, the connection is very tight," he added.
"That was the case with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, life-affirming experiences as a team. Thank you, Dave."
Early Life
Born 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 of age.
He grew up in the seaside town with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his first name from Paul to his adopted name, together with his younger sister Susan, who was also adopted.
He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both learning art. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and quickly recorded an extended play.
Creative Collaboration
The pair were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the quiet technician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a unique creative synergy.
Ball had cultivated a fascination with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk appear on BBC program a popular series, and started to marry moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.
Their signature song became the UK's second biggest-selling single of 1981, selling millions of copies globally. Alongside hits by Gary Numan, Human League and electronic acts, it helped paved the path for the electronic music style of the 1980s.
The track was also featured on their first album, their initial LP, which spawned two additional high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They continued the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at number two in the following year.
Career Highlights
Fame had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to afford my initial property, having money and exploring, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a publication.
But it also presented challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford newfound drugs to relieve the monotony" of media interviews and television shows, Ball explained.
"I realize that's a common saying, but it's a truism for a good reason, because it works for so many musicians."
During the party-filled existence, the duo were also growing distant, but they succeeded to produce a follow-up classic album - the wayward, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.
They put out one more LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to concentrate on individual endeavors.
Almond proceeded to have a successful individual path, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who mixed dance music with ambient pop over a long-lasting partnership.
Reunions and Final Projects
Soft Cell reunited in 2001, releasing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.
After a further break, they returned in 2018, releasing the original singles 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, that year.
Yet, they remained active, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.
Ball recently described the duo's upcoming release as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they frequented while recording their initial records.
He noted that his period in medical care had shaped the group's music.
"I had strange recollections when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on morphine," he told a music magazine.
"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the sounds in my mind from that time.
"Simultaneously, it's about the times me and Marc got up to in the 80s."
The last versions were completed only days before Ball passed away. It is due for release in Spring 2026.
