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

Together with singer Marc Almond, the team achieved a global success with their version 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 synth-pop.

He subsequently formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who secured chart success with 1994's 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 Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

At that performance, Ball appeared in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a spate of ill-health.

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he commented in a recent interview. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about five ribs and broke my wrist."

After catching a lung infection and developing blood poisoning, he was placed in an induced coma and remained in the hospital for half a year.

However, he had been in "high spirits mentally" during the summer, as he was developing a new album with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication next year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the latest project that we actually finished only a short time ago," said the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the finished record and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond referred to his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant 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 you."

His Grid bandmate 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 connection is incredibly close," he added.

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, incredible, life-affirming experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

Brought into the world into a one-parent family in Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was 18 months old.

He grew up in the seaside town with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from his birth name to David, alongside his sibling his sister, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both learning fine arts. Inspired by a shared love of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly produced an EP.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an distinctive combination: Ball was the reserved technician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all glitter and makeup; but they attained a rare creative synergy.

Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after watching the band Kraftwerk appear on a television program Tomorrow's World, and started to marry moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling song of the early 80s, shifting millions of units globally. Together with successful tracks by Gary Numan, Human League and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the way for the electronic music style 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 continued the album up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at the second position in 1982.

Professional Journey

Fame had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having financial security and travelling, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball recently shared with a music magazine.

But it also presented challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford substances to relieve the monotony" 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 bands."

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

They released one more LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to concentrate on other projects.

Almond went on 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 enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, producing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.

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

Yet, they stayed active, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.

Ball recently characterized the band's upcoming release as a homage to the New York club scene they visited while making their initial records.

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

"I had unusual memories when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a publication.

"The new songs are a digital reflection of the noises in my head from that time.

"Simultaneously, it's about the experiences me and Marc had in the 1980s."

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