🔗 Share this article

Dave Ball, a key member of the groundbreaking 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has passed away 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 considered a seminal work of synth-pop.

He subsequently founded the pioneering techno group The Grid, who achieved chart success with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away 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 Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

At that show, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the last two years, after a period of ill-health.

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he stated in 2023. "I broke spinal bones in my spine and cracked about five ribs and fractured my wrist."

Following contracting a lung infection and developing sepsis, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "a great place emotionally" during the warmer months, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.

"He was focused and so happy with the new album that we actually completed only a short time ago," stated the vocalist in a heartfelt message.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was all set to be such an positive year for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he heard the finished record and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

Almond referred to his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", stating: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.

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

Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".

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

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

Early Life

Born into a one-parent family in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months old.

He grew up in the seaside town with his new family his caregivers, who altered his first name from his birth name to his adopted name, alongside his sibling Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both learning art. Inspired by a shared love of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and quickly produced an EP.

Musical Partnership

The duo were an distinctive combination: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all sparkle and makeup; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.

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

Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular single of the early 80s, shifting millions of copies worldwide. Alongside hits by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped cleared the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The track was also included on their first album, their initial LP, which produced two further high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the album up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at number two in the following year.

Professional Journey

Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my first home, having financial security and exploring, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball not long ago told with a publication.

But it also caused challenges. "Newfound wealth allowed we could afford substances to relieve the monotony" of press appearances and television shows, Ball explained.

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

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also growing distant, but they managed to produce a second memorable record - the wayward, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released one more LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group 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 collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell came back together in 2001, producing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following a further hiatus, they reappeared in recent years, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was intended to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on 30 September, 2018.

Yet, they stayed active, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.

Ball lately described the duo's upcoming release as a homage to the NYC nightlife they frequented while recording their first two albums.

He added that his time in medical care had shaped the band's sound.

"I had strange recollections when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on morphine," 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 died. It is scheduled for launch in Spring 2026.