🔗 Share this article

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

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the duo scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a seminal work of synth-pop.

He subsequently formed the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.

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

Health Struggles

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

"I ended up damage myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and cracked about five ribs and fractured my wrist."

Following catching a lung infection and developing blood poisoning, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in the hospital for half a year.

However, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" during the warmer months, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is set for publication next year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we actually finished only a short time ago," stated the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's so sad as next year was completely planned to be such an positive time for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he heard the completed album and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

Almond referred to his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our body of work.

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

Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "constant humor" and "steadfast support".

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

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, incredible, memorable experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

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

He was raised in the seaside town with his new family his caregivers, who changed his first name from Paul to David, together with his younger sister his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and promptly produced an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the reserved technician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all glitter and eye-liner; but they achieved a rare creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with synthesizers after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on a television program Tomorrow's World, and began to combine dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second most popular song of 1981, shifting millions of units worldwide. Alongside hits by other artists, Human League and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

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

They followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at the second position in the following year.

Professional Journey

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

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

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

During the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also growing distant, but they succeeded to produce a follow-up classic album - the unconventional, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released one more LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to concentrate on individual endeavors.

Almond proceeded to have a prosperous individual path, featuring 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 partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

Following another 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 September 30, that year.

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

Ball lately characterized the duo's upcoming release as a homage to the NYC nightlife they frequented while recording their initial records.

He added that his period in hospital had influenced 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.

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

"In parallel, it's about the times me and Marc got up to in the 80s."

The final mixes were finished only days before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for launch in the spring of 2026.