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The talented musician, one half of the groundbreaking 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the pair achieved a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record their initial full-length release is considered a seminal work of electronic music.

He later formed the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who secured chart success with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

Ball died calmly in his rest at his home in London on October 22, just weeks after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

During that performance, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the last two years, after a spate of ill-health.

"I ended up damage myself significantly," he stated in a recent interview. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."

After contracting a lung infection and developing blood poisoning, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and remained in the hospital for seven months.

Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place emotionally" during the summer, as he was developing a new album with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for publication next year.

"He was concentrated and very pleased with the latest project that we actually finished only a few days ago," said the singer 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 completed album and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond referred to his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", 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 music you created with me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".

"Forming a duo with someone is different from joining a band, the connection is incredibly close," he added.

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, incredible, memorable experiences as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

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

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 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 promptly produced an EP.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the reserved technician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all sparkle and makeup; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had developed a interest with synthesizers after watching the band Kraftwerk appear on a television program Tomorrow's World, and began to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second most popular single of 1981, shifting millions of copies globally. Together with successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped paved the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The track was also included on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned two additional high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the album up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at the second position in the following year.

Career Highlights

Fame had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my first home, having money and travelling, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball recently shared with a music magazine.

But it also caused challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the boredom" of press appearances and television shows, Ball explained.

"I realize that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it works for so many musicians."

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

They released one more LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to concentrate on individual endeavors.

Almond proceeded to have a successful solo career, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined acid house with melodic sounds over a enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, releasing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.

After a further hiatus, they reappeared in 2018, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was supposed to be a final performance at the large venue on September 30, that year.

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

Ball lately described the band's upcoming release as a tribute to the New York club scene they frequented while making their initial records.

He noted that his period in hospital had influenced the band's sound.

"I had unusual memories when I was in and out of the hospital because I was on morphine," he explained to a publication.

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

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

The last versions were finished only days before Ball died. It is scheduled for release in the spring of 2026.