Dave Ball, one half of the innovative 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.
Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the team achieved a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a seminal work of electronic music.
He later formed the innovative techno group The Grid, who secured chart success with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.
Ball passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event 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 managed to injure myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I broke spinal bones in my back and fractured about five ribs and broke my wrist."
Following contracting pneumonia and suffering from blood poisoning, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and remained in hospital for half a year.
Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits mentally" over the warmer months, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication next year.
"He was focused and so happy with the latest project that we actually completed only a short time ago," said the vocalist in a heartfelt message.
"It's so sad as next year was all set to be such an uplifting time for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the finished record and believed that it was a masterpiece."
Heartfelt Messages
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 significant aspect of my life 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, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".
"Being in a partnership with someone is different from being in a group, the connection is incredibly close," he added.
"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, memorable experiences together. Thank you, Dave."
Early Life
Born into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months old.
He was raised in the seaside town with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from his birth name to David, alongside his sibling Susan, who was similarly welcomed.
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 same year, and promptly produced an EP.
Musical Partnership
The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the quiet technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.
Ball had developed a interest with synthesizers after watching the band Kraftwerk perform on BBC program Tomorrow's World, and began to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.
Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular single of 1981, selling millions of units worldwide. Alongside successful tracks by other artists, Human League and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the path for the electronic music style of the 1980s.
The track was also included on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two additional top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They followed the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at the second position in 1982.
Career Highlights
Success had its upsides. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having financial security and travelling, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a music magazine.
But it also caused challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could purchase substances to alleviate the boredom" of press appearances and television shows, Ball explained.
"I realize that's a cliché, but it's a cliché for a good reason, because it works for so many bands."
Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also drifting apart, but they managed to create a follow-up classic album - the wayward, 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 focus on individual endeavors.
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 mixed dance music with ambient pop over a long-lasting collaboration.
Reunions and Final Projects
Soft Cell came back together in 2001, producing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.
Following a further break, they returned in recent years, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was intended to be a final performance at the large venue on September 30, 2018.
Yet, they remained active, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.
Ball lately characterized the duo's new album as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they frequented while making their initial records.
He added that his period in medical care had shaped the band's sound.
"I had unusual memories when I was in and out of hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a music magazine.
"The new songs are a electronic representation of the noises in my mind from those days.
"In parallel, it's about the experiences we got up to in the 80s."
The final mixes were finished only a short time before Ball died. It is due for release in Spring 2026.
