🔗 Share this article

Dave Ball, a key member of the innovative 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the pair achieved a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album their initial full-length release is regarded as a classic of synth-pop.

He later founded the innovative techno group The Grid, who achieved chart success with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his rest at his residence in London on October 22, only a short time after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

At that performance, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the last two years, after a period of ill-health.

"I ended up injure myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I broke spinal bones in my back and cracked about five ribs and fractured my arm."

Following catching a lung infection and developing blood poisoning, he was put in an induced coma and stayed in hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "high spirits mentally" over the warmer months, as he was developing a new album with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for publication next year.

"He was focused and so happy with the latest project that we actually completed only a few days ago," stated 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 great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond referred to his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our body of work.

"Many thanks Dave for being an immense part of my existence and for the music you gave me. I wouldn't be where I am without your influence."

Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

"Being in a duo with someone is distinct from being in a band, the connection is very tight," he added.

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, life-affirming experiences together. Thank you, Dave."

Formative Years

Born into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.

He grew up in Blackpool with his new family his caregivers, who changed his first name from Paul to David, together with his younger sister Susan, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and promptly recorded an EP.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the quiet musician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all sparkle and makeup; but they achieved a unique creative synergy.

Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk appear on BBC science show a popular series, and started to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling single of the early 80s, selling 21 million units worldwide. Together with successful tracks by Gary Numan, Human League and Ultravox, it contributed to paved 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 spawned two additional high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Professional Journey

Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having money and travelling, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago told with a music magazine.

But it also caused problems. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford newfound drugs to alleviate the monotony" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball explained.

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

During the party-filled existence, the duo were also drifting apart, but they managed to produce a follow-up memorable record - the unconventional, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the band to concentrate on individual endeavors.

Almond proceeded to have a successful individual path, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined dance music with ambient pop over a long-lasting partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell came back together in the early 2000s, producing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following another 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 30 September, 2018.

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

Ball lately characterized the duo's new album as a tribute to the New York club scene they frequented while recording their initial records.

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

"I experienced strange recollections when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a music magazine.

"Our latest tracks are a electronic representation of the noises in my mind from those days.

"Simultaneously, it's about the experiences we had in the 80s."

The final mixes were finished only a short time before Ball passed away. It is due for release in Spring 2026.