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The talented musician, a key member of the groundbreaking 1980s electronic music band 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' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a seminal work of electronic music.

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

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

Recent Health Challenges

At that show, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the last two years, after a period of ill-health.

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he commented in a recent interview. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my spine and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my arm."

After contracting pneumonia and suffering from blood poisoning, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and remained in the hospital for seven months.

Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place mentally" over the summer, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for publication next year.

"He was concentrated and very pleased with the latest project that we literally finished only a short time ago," said the singer in a tribute.

"It's so sad as 2026 was all set to be such an positive year for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond referred to his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

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

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

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

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, life-affirming experiences as a team. 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 grew up in the seaside town with his new family his caregivers, who changed his given name from his birth name to David, together with his sibling Susan, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both studying art. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly recorded an EP.

Musical Partnership

The duo were an unusual combination: Ball was the quiet technician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a unique creative synergy.

Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing the band Kraftwerk appear on BBC program a popular series, and began to marry moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Their signature song became the UK's second most popular single of 1981, shifting millions of units worldwide. Alongside successful tracks by other artists, Human League and electronic acts, it contributed to paved the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The track was also featured on their first album, their initial LP, which spawned two further high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the album up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at the second position in 1982.

Professional Journey

Success had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to afford my first home, having money and exploring, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball recently told with a publication.

But it also caused challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford newfound drugs to alleviate the boredom" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball said.

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

Amidst the party-filled existence, the duo were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to produce a follow-up memorable record - the wayward, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released one more LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to focus on other projects.

Almond went on to have a prosperous individual path, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed dance music with melodic sounds over a long-lasting partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell came back together in the early 2000s, producing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.

After another break, they returned in recent years, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on September 30, that year.

However, they stayed together, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball recently characterized the duo's new album as a homage to the NYC nightlife they visited while making their first two albums.

He added that his time in medical care had shaped the group's music.

"I had strange recollections when I was in and out of the hospital because I was on morphine," he explained to a music magazine.

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

"In parallel, it's about the times we got up to in the 1980s."

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