🔗 Share this article

Dave Ball, one half of the groundbreaking 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the pair achieved a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record their initial full-length release is considered a classic of electronic music.

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

Ball passed away calmly in his rest at his home in London on October 22, only a short time 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 wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a period of ill-health.

"I managed to injure myself significantly," he stated in 2023. "I broke spinal bones in my spine and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."

Following contracting pneumonia and developing sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and remained in hospital for seven months.

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" over the summer, as he was developing a new album with Almond, called Danceteria, which is set for release in the coming year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we literally finished only a few days ago," stated the singer in a heartfelt message.

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

Tributes

Almond described his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

"Many thanks Dave for being an immense part of my life and for the songs you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

"Forming a partnership with someone is different from joining a group, the connection is incredibly close," he continued.

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, incredible, life-affirming moments as a team. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

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

He grew up in the seaside town with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from Paul to his adopted name, together with his sibling his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

He encountered Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both learning fine arts. Fuelled by a mutual passion of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and promptly produced an EP.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an unusual pairing: Ball was the quiet musician, bent 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 electronic instruments after watching Kraftwerk appear on BBC science show a popular series, and started to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular song of the early 80s, shifting millions of units worldwide. Alongside hits by other artists, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it helped cleared the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

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

They continued the album up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in 1982.

Career Highlights

Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to afford my initial property, having money and exploring, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago told with a publication.

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

"I know that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a good reason, because it works for so many bands."

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to produce a follow-up memorable record - the unconventional, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released another LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to focus on individual endeavors.

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

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, producing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following a further break, they reappeared in 2018, releasing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.

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

Ball recently characterized the duo's upcoming release as a homage to the NYC nightlife they visited while making their initial records.

He added that his period in medical care had shaped the group's music.

"I experienced unusual memories when I was in and out of hospital because I was on morphine," he told a music magazine.

"The new songs are a electronic representation of the sounds in my mind from those days.

"Simultaneously, it's about the times me and Marc got up to in the 1980s."

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