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

Together with singer Marc Almond, the team scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a seminal work of synth-pop.

He subsequently founded the innovative techno group The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

Ball died peacefully in his sleep at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, 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 show, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a spate of ill-health.

"I managed to damage myself quite a bit," he stated in a recent interview. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my back and fractured about multiple ribs and broke my wrist."

Following contracting a lung infection and developing blood poisoning, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in the hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "a great place emotionally" during the summer, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication next year.

"He was focused and so happy with the latest project that we literally completed only a short time ago," said the vocalist in a heartfelt message.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the completed album and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond referred to his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant musical genius", adding: "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 significant part of my existence and for the songs you created with me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."

Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "constant humor" and "steadfast support".

"Being in a partnership 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 extraordinary, incredible, memorable moments as a team. Thank you, Dave."

Formative Years

Born into a single-parent household in Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half of age.

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

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both learning fine arts. Inspired by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and promptly recorded an extended play.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with electronic instruments after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on BBC science show a popular series, and started to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second most popular single of 1981, selling millions of copies globally. Together with successful tracks by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

The track was also included on their first album, their initial LP, which spawned two additional top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in the following year.

Career Highlights

Success had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my initial property, having financial security and travelling, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball recently told with a publication.

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

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

Amidst the party-filled existence, the pair were also drifting apart, but they managed to produce a follow-up classic album - the unconventional, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released another LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to focus on other projects.

Almond proceeded to have a prosperous solo career, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed acid house with ambient pop over a long-lasting partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

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

Following a further break, they returned in 2018, 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 large venue on 30 September, 2018.

Yet, they remained active, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball lately described the band's upcoming release as a homage to the NYC nightlife they visited while recording their initial records.

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

"I experienced 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 noises in my mind from that time.

"In parallel, it's about the experiences me and Marc got up to in the 80s."

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