Dave Ball, a key member of the innovative 1980s synth-pop duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.
Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the pair scored a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record their initial full-length release is regarded as a seminal work of electronic music.
He subsequently formed the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.
Ball passed away peacefully in his rest at his home 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 show, Ball appeared in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a spate of ill-health.
"I ended up damage myself significantly," he stated in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."
Following catching a lung infection and developing blood poisoning, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and remained in hospital for half a year.
However, he had been in "a great place mentally" during the summer, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, called Danceteria, which is scheduled for release in the coming year.
"He was focused and so happy with the new album that we actually completed only a short time ago," stated the vocalist in a tribute.
"It's so sad as next year was all set to be such an positive year for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he listened to the completed album and felt that it was a masterpiece."
Tributes
Almond referred to his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our body of work.
"Thank you Dave for being an significant 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, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".
"Being in a duo with someone is different from joining a group, the bond is incredibly close," he added.
"That's how it was with us. We went through so many remarkable, incredible, life-affirming experiences as a team. Many thanks, Dave."
Formative Years
Brought into the world into a one-parent family in the city of Chester in the late 50s, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.
He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from Paul to David, alongside his younger sister his sister, who was similarly welcomed.
He encountered Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both learning fine arts. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and promptly recorded an extended play.
Musical Partnership
The pair were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the quiet musician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all glitter and makeup; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.
Ball had cultivated a interest with synthesizers after viewing Kraftwerk appear on a television program Tomorrow's World, and started to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.
Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling single of 1981, selling millions of units worldwide. Together with successful tracks by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it helped paved the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.
The track was also featured on their first album, their initial LP, 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.
Career Highlights
Fame had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my first home, 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 boredom" of media interviews and television shows, Ball explained.
"I realize that's a common saying, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it applies for so many musicians."
During the party-filled existence, the pair were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to produce a second classic album - the wayward, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.
They released another LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to concentrate on individual endeavors.
Almond proceeded to have a prosperous individual path, including the top 10 hit 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 reunited in the early 2000s, producing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.
After a further hiatus, they reappeared in recent years, issuing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was intended to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on 30 September, that year.
However, they stayed together, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.
Ball lately described the duo's new album as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they visited while recording their first two albums.
He added that his time in hospital had influenced the group's music.
"I experienced unusual memories when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a music magazine.
"The new songs are a electronic representation of the noises in my head from that time.
"Simultaneously, it's about the times me and Marc had in the 1980s."
The final mixes were completed only a short time before Ball died. It is due for launch in Spring 2026.
