Dave Ball, one half of the pioneering 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.
Alongside singer Marc Almond, the team scored a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a classic of electronic music.
He subsequently founded the innovative electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.
Ball died peacefully in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, only a short time after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.
Recent Health Challenges
At that performance, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the last two years, following a period of ill-health.
"I managed to injure myself quite a bit," he stated in a recent interview. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and fractured about multiple ribs and fractured my arm."
After contracting pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and remained in the hospital for seven months.
However, he had been in "a great place mentally" during the summer, as he worked on a new album with Almond, called Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication in the coming year.
"He was focused and so happy with the latest project that we actually finished only a few days ago," said the singer in a heartfelt message.
"It's so sad as next year was all set to be such an positive year for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he listened to the finished record and believed that it was a great piece of work."
Tributes
Almond described his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.
"Many thanks Dave for being an significant part of my existence and for the songs you gave me. I wouldn't be where I am without your influence."
His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".
"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 remarkable, extraordinary, memorable experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."
Formative Years
Brought into the world into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.
He grew up in the seaside town with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his first name from his birth name to David, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was similarly welcomed.
He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and promptly produced an EP.
Musical Partnership
The pair were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the quiet technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a unique creative synergy.
Ball had cultivated a interest with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk perform on BBC science show Tomorrow's World, and began to marry moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.
Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular single of 1981, shifting millions of copies worldwide. Alongside successful tracks by Gary Numan, Human League and electronic acts, it helped paved the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.
The track was also featured on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned two further top five singles: 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
Fame had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having money and exploring, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball not long ago shared with a music magazine.
But it also caused challenges. "Newfound wealth meant we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the monotony" 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 musicians."
Amidst the party-filled existence, the pair were also drifting apart, but they managed to produce a second memorable record - the wayward, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.
They put out another LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the band to concentrate on individual endeavors.
Almond proceeded to have a successful solo career, including the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed dance music with melodic sounds over a long-lasting collaboration.
Later Work and Comebacks
Soft Cell came back together in the early 2000s, producing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.
Following another hiatus, they reappeared in 2018, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a final performance at the large venue on September 30, 2018.
However, they remained active, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.
Ball recently described the duo's new album as a homage to the NYC nightlife they visited while recording their initial records.
He added that his period in medical care had shaped the band's sound.
"I had unusual memories when I was in and out of hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a music magazine.
"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the sounds in my mind from that time.
"In parallel, it's about the experiences me and Marc had in the 1980s."
The final mixes were finished only days before Ball died. It is due for release in the spring of 2026.
