Dave Ball, a key member of the innovative 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.
Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the duo scored a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a seminal work of electronic music.
He later formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who achieved chart success with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.
Ball died calmly in his rest at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.
Recent Health Challenges
At that performance, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a spate of ill-health.
"I managed to injure myself quite a bit," he commented in 2023. "I broke spinal bones in my back and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."
After catching pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an induced coma and remained in the hospital for half a year.
However, he had been in "a great place mentally" over the warmer months, as he was developing a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is set for release next year.
"He was concentrated and very pleased with the latest project that we literally finished only a few days ago," stated the vocalist in a tribute.
"It's so sad as next year was all set to be such an uplifting time for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he listened to the finished record and believed that it was a masterpiece."
Tributes
Almond described his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant musical genius", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.
"Thank you Dave for being an immense part of my life and for the music you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without you."
Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "steadfast support".
"Forming a duo with someone is different from joining a group, the connection is very tight," he added.
"That was the case with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, extraordinary, memorable moments together. Thank you, Dave."
Early Life
Born into a one-parent family in Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.
He was raised in the seaside town with his new family his caregivers, who changed 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 studying art. Fuelled by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and promptly recorded an extended play.
Creative Collaboration
The duo were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the quiet technician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they attained a rare creative synergy.
Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after watching the band Kraftwerk perform on BBC science show Tomorrow's World, and began to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.
Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular song of 1981, shifting 21 million copies worldwide. Together with successful tracks by Gary Numan, Human League and electronic acts, it contributed to cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.
The track was also featured on their first album, their initial LP, which produced two additional top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They continued the album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which peaked at the second position in 1982.
Career Highlights
Fame had its upsides. "I loved being able to afford my initial property, having money and travelling, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a publication.
But it also caused problems. "Newfound wealth meant we could purchase newfound drugs to relieve the monotony" of media interviews and television shows, Ball explained.
"I know that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a good reason, because it applies for so many musicians."
During the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also growing distant, but they managed to create a follow-up classic album - the unconventional, 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 band to concentrate on individual endeavors.
Almond went on to have a prosperous individual path, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed acid house with melodic sounds over a enduring collaboration.
Reunions and Final Projects
Soft Cell reunited in 2001, producing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.
After another hiatus, they reappeared in recent years, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a farewell show at the large venue on September 30, that year.
However, they remained active, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.
Ball recently described the band's upcoming release as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they visited while making their initial records.
He added that his time in hospital had influenced the group's music.
"I experienced strange recollections when I was in and out of hospital because I was on morphine," he told a music magazine.
"The new songs 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 80s."
The last versions were completed only days before Ball died. It is due for launch in the spring of 2026.
