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Dave Ball, a key member of the pioneering 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Together with singer Marc Almond, the pair scored a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a seminal work of synth-pop.

He later founded the innovative electronic act The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with 1994's Swamp Thing.

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

Health Struggles

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

"I ended up injure myself significantly," he stated in a recent interview. "I broke lower vertebrae in my spine and cracked about multiple ribs and broke my wrist."

After catching pneumonia and developing blood poisoning, he was put in an induced coma and remained in hospital for half a year.

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits mentally" during the summer, as he worked on a new album with Almond, called Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.

"He was concentrated and very pleased with the new album that we literally finished only a few days ago," said the singer in a tribute.

"It's so sad as next year was completely planned to be such an uplifting time for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

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

"Thank you Dave for being an immense aspect of my existence and for the songs 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 being in a band, the bond is very tight," he continued.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many extraordinary, extraordinary, life-affirming moments together. Thank you, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a single-parent household 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 his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his first name from his birth name to David, together with his younger sister Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both learning art. Fuelled by a mutual passion of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and promptly produced an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual combination: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a rare creative synergy.

Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk appear on a television science show Tomorrow's World, and began to combine moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second most popular song of 1981, shifting 21 million copies globally. Alongside successful tracks by Gary Numan, Human League and Ultravox, it helped cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

The track was also featured on their full-length debut, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two additional top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at the second position in the following year.

Career Highlights

Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having money and exploring, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball not long ago shared with a publication.

But it also presented problems. "Sudden riches meant we could afford substances to relieve the boredom" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.

"I realize that's a common saying, but it's a cliché for a good reason, because it applies for so many bands."

During the party-filled existence, the pair were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to create a follow-up classic album - the unconventional, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to focus on other projects.

Almond went on to have a successful individual path, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined dance music with ambient pop over a long-lasting collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

Following a further hiatus, they reappeared in 2018, issuing the original singles 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, 2018.

However, they remained active, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.

Ball lately described the duo's upcoming release as a homage to the NYC nightlife they frequented while making their first two albums.

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

"I experienced unusual memories when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on morphine," he explained to a publication.

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

"In parallel, it's about the times we had in the 80s."

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