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The talented musician, a key member of the innovative 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the team achieved a global success 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 subsequently formed the innovative electronic act The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball died calmly in his sleep at his residence in London on October 22, just weeks after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

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

"I ended up damage myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and fractured about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."

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

Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place emotionally" over the summer, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, called Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication next year.

"He was concentrated and very pleased with the new album that we literally finished only a short time ago," said the vocalist in a tribute.

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

Heartfelt Messages

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

"Thank you Dave for being an immense aspect of my life 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, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".

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

"That's how it was with us. We went through so many extraordinary, extraordinary, memorable moments together. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half of age.

He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his first name from Paul to David, alongside his younger sister his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

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

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the reserved musician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all sparkle and makeup; but they attained a rare musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on BBC science show Tomorrow's World, and started to marry moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second most popular song of the early 80s, selling 21 million copies worldwide. Alongside successful tracks by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it contributed to paved the path for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

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

They followed the album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at number two in the following year.

Professional Journey

Fame had its benefits. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having financial security and travelling, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball recently told with a music magazine.

But it also presented challenges. "Newfound wealth meant we could purchase substances to alleviate the boredom" of press appearances and television shows, Ball said.

"I realize that's a cliché, 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 succeeded to create a second classic album - the wayward, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the band to concentrate on other projects.

Almond went on to have a successful solo career, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed dance music with melodic sounds over a enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

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

Yet, they remained active, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.

Ball recently characterized the band's new album as a homage to the NYC nightlife they frequented while making their initial records.

He noted that his time in hospital had influenced 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 noises in my mind from that time.

"In parallel, it's about the experiences we got up to in the 1980s."

The last versions were finished only a short time before Ball died. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.