🔗 Share this article

The talented musician, one half of the innovative 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Together with singer Marc Almond, the duo scored a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a classic of electronic music.

He subsequently formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who achieved chart success with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his rest at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

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

"I managed to injure myself quite a bit," he commented in a recent interview. "I broke lower vertebrae in my spine and fractured about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."

Following contracting a lung infection and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an induced coma and remained in hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "a great place emotionally" over the summer, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for release in the coming year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we literally completed only a short time ago," said the singer 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 fact that he listened to the completed album and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond referred to his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.

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

Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "constant humor" and "steadfast support".

"Forming a duo with someone is different from being in a group, the bond is very tight," he continued.

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, life-affirming experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

Born into a single-parent household in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half of age.

He was raised in Blackpool with his new family his caregivers, who changed his given name from his birth name to his adopted name, together with his sibling Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both studying art. Fuelled by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and promptly produced an EP.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the reserved musician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all glitter and makeup; but they attained a rare creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a fascination with synthesizers after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on a television science show Tomorrow's World, and started to combine dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the UK's second most popular single of 1981, shifting 21 million units worldwide. Together with successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it contributed to cleared the way for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

The song was also included on their first album, their initial LP, which spawned two additional high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Professional Journey

Success had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to afford my first home, having money and exploring, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball not long ago shared with a publication.

But it also caused problems. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford substances to alleviate the boredom" of media interviews and television shows, Ball explained.

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

During the party-filled existence, the duo were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to produce a follow-up memorable record - the wayward, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving 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 created The Grid, who mixed acid house with melodic sounds over a enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

After a further hiatus, they reappeared in recent years, issuing 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 30 September, that year.

However, they remained together, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball lately described the band's upcoming release as a homage to the NYC nightlife they frequented while making their first two albums.

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

"I experienced strange recollections when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on morphine," he explained to a publication.

"Our latest tracks are a electronic representation of the noises in my head from that time.

"Simultaneously, it's about the experiences we had in the 1980s."

The last versions were completed only days before Ball died. It is due for release in the spring of 2026.