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

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the duo achieved a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a classic of electronic music.

He subsequently formed the innovative electronic act The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, just weeks after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

During that performance, Ball appeared in a mobility chair, as he had for the last two years, following a spate of health issues.

"I ended up damage myself quite a bit," he commented in a recent interview. "I broke lower vertebrae in my spine and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."

Following contracting pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and remained in hospital for half a year.

However, he had been in "a great place mentally" over the summer, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for release in the coming year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we literally finished only a short time ago," stated the singer in a heartfelt message.

"It's so sad as next year was completely planned to be such an positive year for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he listened to the finished record and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond described his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

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

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

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

"That was the case with us. We went through so many remarkable, incredible, life-affirming moments together. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in the city of 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 Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from his birth name to David, alongside his sibling Susan, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both learning fine arts. Fuelled by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly produced an EP.

Musical Partnership

The duo were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the quiet technician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a rare creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a fascination with synthesizers after viewing Kraftwerk perform on a television program Tomorrow's World, and started to combine moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling single of the early 80s, shifting 21 million copies worldwide. Alongside successful tracks by Gary Numan, Human League and electronic acts, it helped cleared the way for the electronic music style of the 80s.

The track was also included on their full-length debut, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two additional high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which peaked at number two in 1982.

Professional Journey

Fame had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to afford my initial property, having money and travelling, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball recently shared with a publication.

But it also presented problems. "Newfound wealth allowed we could purchase substances to relieve the monotony" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball explained.

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

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to create a follow-up memorable record - the wayward, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released one more album, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to focus on other projects.

Almond went on to have a successful solo career, 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 enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, producing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.

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

Yet, they remained together, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball recently described the band's new album as a homage to the NYC nightlife they visited while recording their initial records.

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

"I had unusual memories when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a music magazine.

"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the sounds in my head from those days.

"Simultaneously, it's about the times me and Marc had in the 80s."

The final mixes were finished only a short time before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for release in the spring of 2026.