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Dave Ball, one half of the innovative 1980s synth-pop duo Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the pair achieved a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a seminal work of electronic music.

He subsequently formed the innovative electronic act The Grid, who secured chart success with 1994's Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his sleep at his residence in London on October 22, just weeks after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

At that show, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a spate of ill-health.

"I managed to injure myself quite a bit," he commented in a recent interview. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and fractured about five ribs and broke my wrist."

After catching pneumonia and developing sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in hospital for seven months.

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

"He was focused and very pleased with the latest project that we actually completed only a few days ago," said the singer in a tribute.

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

Heartfelt Messages

Almond referred to his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.

"Thank you Dave for being an significant aspect of my life and for the music you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."

Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

"Being in a duo with someone is different from being in a band, the bond is incredibly close," he continued.

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, memorable moments as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months old.

He was raised in the seaside town with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his first name from Paul to his adopted name, together with his younger sister his sister, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both learning art. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and promptly recorded an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the quiet musician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a unique creative synergy.

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

Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular single of the early 80s, shifting 21 million units worldwide. Alongside successful tracks by Gary Numan, Human League and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the path for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The song was also featured on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two further high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Professional Journey

Success had its upsides. "I loved being able to purchase my first home, having money and exploring, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball recently told with a publication.

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

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

During the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also growing distant, but they succeeded to create a follow-up memorable record - the unconventional, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

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

Almond went on to have a successful individual path, featuring 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 collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, releasing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.

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

Yet, they stayed active, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball recently characterized the duo's upcoming release as a homage to the New York club scene they frequented while recording their initial records.

He added that his period in hospital had influenced the group's music.

"I had strange recollections when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on morphine," he told a publication.

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

"Simultaneously, it's about the times we got up to in the 1980s."

The final mixes were completed only days before Ball passed away. It is due for release in the spring of 2026.