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Dave Ball, one half of the pioneering 1980s synth-pop duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Together with singer Marc Almond, the team scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album their initial full-length release is considered a seminal work of electronic music.

He subsequently founded the pioneering techno group The Grid, who secured chart success with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, just weeks after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

During that show, 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 significantly," he stated in a recent interview. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my arm."

After catching a lung infection and developing sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and remained in the hospital for half a year.

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" over the warmer months, as he was developing a new album with Almond, called Danceteria, which is set for publication in the coming year.

"He was focused and so happy 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 all set to be such an positive year 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 bandmate as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", stating: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.

"Thank you Dave for being an immense part of my existence and for the songs you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."

His Grid bandmate 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 connection is very tight," he continued.

"That's how it was with us. We went through so many extraordinary, extraordinary, memorable moments as a team. Thank you, Dave."

Formative Years

Born into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in 1959, 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 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 an art college in 1977, where they were both studying art. Fuelled by a shared love of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and promptly recorded an EP.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the quiet musician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all sparkle and makeup; but they achieved a rare creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with electronic instruments after viewing Kraftwerk appear on a television science show a popular series, and began to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling song of the early 80s, selling 21 million copies worldwide. Alongside successful tracks by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The song was also featured on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two additional top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Professional Journey

Fame had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my first home, having money and travelling, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball not long ago shared with a publication.

But it also presented problems. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford substances to relieve the boredom" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball explained.

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

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also drifting apart, but they managed to create a follow-up classic album - the wayward, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released another album, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to focus on other projects.

Almond went on to have a prosperous individual path, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who mixed acid house with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, releasing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

After another break, they returned in 2018, issuing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a farewell show at the large venue on September 30, that year.

However, they stayed together, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.

Ball recently described the band's upcoming release as a tribute to the New York club scene they frequented while making their first two albums.

He noted that his period in hospital had influenced the group's music.

"I had strange recollections when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a music magazine.

"The new songs are a electronic representation of the noises in my head from those days.

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

The last versions were finished only a short time before Ball died. It is scheduled for launch in Spring 2026.