Dave Ball, one half of the innovative 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.
Alongside singer Marc Almond, the team scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a classic of synth-pop.
He later formed the innovative techno group The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with 1994's Swamp Thing.
Ball died peacefully in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, just weeks after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in the Thames-side town.
Recent Health Challenges
During that performance, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the last two years, after a spate of health issues.
"I managed to damage myself significantly," he stated in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."
After contracting pneumonia and suffering from blood poisoning, he was put in an induced coma and remained in hospital for half a year.
Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place emotionally" during the summer, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.
"He was focused and so happy with the latest project that we actually finished only a few days ago," said the vocalist in a tribute.
"It's truly heartbreaking 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 completed album and felt that it was a great piece of work."
Heartfelt Messages
Almond referred to his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.
"Thank you Dave for being an significant part of my existence and for the songs you created with me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."
Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".
"Being in a partnership with someone is distinct from joining a band, the bond is incredibly close," he continued.
"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, life-affirming experiences as a team. Thank you, 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 18 months old.
He grew up in Blackpool with his new family his caregivers, who altered his first name from his birth name to his adopted name, together with his younger sister Susan, who was similarly welcomed.
He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both learning fine arts. Inspired by a shared love of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and quickly recorded an EP.
Musical Partnership
The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all glitter and makeup; but they achieved a unique creative synergy.
Ball had developed a interest with electronic instruments after watching the band Kraftwerk appear on BBC science show Tomorrow's World, and began to marry moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.
Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling song of the early 80s, shifting millions of copies worldwide. Together with hits by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it contributed to paved the path for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.
The song was also featured on their first album, their initial LP, which produced two further high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They followed the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which peaked at the second position in 1982.
Career Highlights
Fame had its benefits. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having financial security and exploring, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball not long ago shared with a music magazine.
But it also caused problems. "Newfound wealth allowed we could afford newfound drugs to alleviate the monotony" of press appearances and TV performances, 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 pair were also growing distant, but they succeeded to create a follow-up classic album - the wayward, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.
They released one more album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to concentrate on other projects.
Almond proceeded to have a successful individual path, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who mixed dance music with ambient pop over a long-lasting partnership.
Reunions and Final Projects
Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, producing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.
Following a further hiatus, they returned in 2018, issuing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a final performance at the O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.
Yet, they remained together, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.
Ball recently described the band's upcoming release as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they visited while making their first two albums.
He added that his period in hospital had influenced the group's music.
"I experienced strange recollections when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a publication.
"The new songs are a digital reflection of the sounds in my head from those days.
"Simultaneously, it's about the times we got up to in the 80s."
The final mixes were finished only days before Ball died. It is scheduled for launch in the spring of 2026.
