🔗 Share this article

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

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the team achieved a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record their initial full-length release is considered a seminal work of electronic music.

He later founded the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball died calmly in his sleep at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

During that show, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a period of ill-health.

"I managed to damage myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and cracked about five ribs and fractured my arm."

Following catching a lung infection and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an induced coma and stayed in the hospital for half a year.

However, he had been in "high spirits mentally" 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 literally finished only a few days ago," said the vocalist in a heartfelt message.

"It's so sad as next year was completely planned to be such an uplifting time for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he listened to the finished record and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

Almond described his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

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

Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".

"Forming a duo with someone is different from joining a band, the bond is very tight," he continued.

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

Formative Years

Born into a one-parent family in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.

He was raised in the seaside town with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his first name from Paul to David, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

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

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the quiet musician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all sparkle and makeup; but they achieved a unique creative synergy.

Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after viewing Kraftwerk appear on a television program Tomorrow's World, and began to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second most popular song of 1981, selling 21 million units globally. Together with hits by other artists, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped cleared the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The song was also included on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which produced two additional high-charting singles: 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

Success had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my initial property, having financial security and travelling, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball recently told with a publication.

But it also caused problems. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford substances to alleviate the monotony" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball said.

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

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

They put out one more album, their 1984 release 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 chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined dance music with melodic sounds over a long-lasting partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, releasing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.

After a further hiatus, they reappeared in 2018, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was supposed to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.

However, they remained active, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball lately characterized the band's new album as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they frequented while making their initial records.

He noted that his time in hospital had shaped the group's music.

"I experienced unusual memories when I was in and out of hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a music magazine.

"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the noises in my mind from that time.

"In parallel, it's about the experiences me and Marc had in the 80s."

The final mixes were finished only a short time before Ball died. It is due for launch in Spring 2026.