Dave Ball, a key member of the pioneering 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.
Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the duo scored a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a seminal work of electronic music.
He subsequently formed the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.
Ball died peacefully in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, just weeks after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.
Recent Health Challenges
At that show, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a spate of health issues.
"I managed to injure myself quite a bit," he stated in a recent interview. "I broke lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about multiple ribs and broke my wrist."
Following catching pneumonia and developing sepsis, he was put in an induced coma and stayed in the hospital for half a year.
However, he had been in "high spirits mentally" over the summer, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.
"He was concentrated and very pleased with the latest project that we literally finished only a few days ago," stated the vocalist in a tribute.
"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he listened to the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work."
Heartfelt Messages
Almond described his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our body of work.
"Many thanks Dave for being an immense part of my life and for the music 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 "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".
"Being in a partnership with someone is distinct from joining a group, the connection is very tight," he added.
"That was the case with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, memorable moments together. Thank you, Dave."
Early Life
Born 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 of age.
He was raised in Blackpool with his new family his caregivers, who changed his first name from his birth name to David, alongside his sibling Susan, who was also adopted.
He met Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both learning art. Inspired by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the very year, and promptly recorded an extended play.
Musical Partnership
The duo were an unusual combination: Ball was the reserved technician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all glitter and eye-liner; but they achieved a rare musical alchemy.
Ball had developed a interest with synthesizers after viewing the band Kraftwerk appear on a television program a popular series, and started to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.
Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second most popular single of the early 80s, shifting millions of units worldwide. Together with successful tracks by other artists, Human League and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the way for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.
The track was also included on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which spawned two additional high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They continued the album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which peaked at number two in 1982.
Professional Journey
Success had its upsides. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having financial security and exploring, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a music magazine.
But it also presented problems. "Newfound wealth meant we could afford substances to alleviate the monotony" of press appearances and television shows, Ball explained.
"I realize that's a common saying, but it's a cliché for a valid cause, because it applies for so many bands."
During the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also growing distant, but they succeeded to create a second classic album - the wayward, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.
They put out one more album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to concentrate on individual endeavors.
Almond went on to have a successful solo career, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who mixed acid house with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.
Later Work and Comebacks
Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, releasing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.
Following a further break, they reappeared in 2018, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was supposed to be a final performance at the large venue on 30 September, 2018.
However, they remained together, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.
Ball lately described the duo's new album as a tribute 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 had unusual memories when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a music magazine.
"The new songs are a electronic representation of the noises in my head from that time.
"In parallel, it's about the times me and Marc got up to in the 1980s."
The final mixes were finished only a short time before Ball passed away. It is due for release in the spring of 2026.
