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

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the team scored a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a classic of synth-pop.

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

Ball died peacefully in his rest at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, just weeks after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

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

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

Following contracting pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an induced coma and stayed in hospital for half a year.

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" during the summer, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, called Danceteria, which is set for release next year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we actually completed only a short time ago," stated the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was completely planned to be such an uplifting year for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he listened to the completed album and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

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

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

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

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

"That was the case with us. We went through so many extraordinary, incredible, memorable experiences as a team. Thank you, 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 a year and a half of age.

He was raised in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who changed his given name from Paul to David, alongside his younger sister his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

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

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the reserved musician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all sparkle and makeup; but they achieved a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had developed a interest with electronic instruments after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on BBC science show a popular series, and started to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling single of the early 80s, selling 21 million units worldwide. Together with successful tracks by other artists, Human League and electronic acts, it helped cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The track was also included on their first album, their initial LP, which produced two additional top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Professional Journey

Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having money and travelling, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago told with a music magazine.

But it also presented challenges. "Sudden riches meant we could afford newfound drugs to relieve the boredom" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball explained.

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

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to produce a second memorable record - the wayward, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to concentrate on other projects.

Almond went on to have a successful individual path, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed acid house with ambient pop over a long-lasting collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

After a further break, they reappeared in recent years, releasing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a final performance at the O2 Arena on 30 September, that year.

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

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

He added that his time 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 sounds in my head from that time.

"In parallel, it's about the times me and Marc had in the 1980s."

The last versions were finished only a short time before Ball passed away. It is due for launch in the spring of 2026.