Dave Ball, a key member of the groundbreaking 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.
Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the pair scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record their initial full-length release is regarded as a classic of synth-pop.
He subsequently formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.
Ball died peacefully in his rest at his residence in London on October 22, only a short time after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.
Recent Health Challenges
During that show, Ball appeared in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a spate of ill-health.
"I managed to damage myself significantly," he stated in a recent interview. "I fractured spinal bones in my back and cracked about five ribs and fractured my arm."
After catching a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in the hospital for half a year.
However, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" over the summer, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication in the coming 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 positive time for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he listened to the completed album and believed that it was a great piece of work."
Tributes
Almond referred to his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.
"Thank you Dave for being an significant part of my existence and for the music you created with me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."
His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".
"Being in a partnership with someone is distinct from joining a band, the connection is incredibly close," he added.
"That was the case with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, extraordinary, memorable moments 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 of age.
He grew up in the seaside town with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from Paul to his adopted name, together with his sibling his sister, who was similarly welcomed.
He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly produced an EP.
Creative Collaboration
The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the quiet musician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they achieved a rare creative synergy.
Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing the band Kraftwerk appear on BBC program a popular series, and started to marry moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.
Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling song of 1981, selling 21 million units worldwide. Alongside hits by other artists, Human League and Ultravox, it helped paved the path for the electronic music style of the 80s.
The song was also included on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two additional high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They continued the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at the second position in 1982.
Professional Journey
Success had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to afford my first home, having money and travelling, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball recently shared with a publication.
But it also caused challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford newfound drugs to relieve the boredom" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball said.
"I realize that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it works 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, 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 group to focus on other projects.
Almond went on 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 combined acid house with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.
Later Work and Comebacks
Soft Cell reunited in 2001, releasing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.
Following a further break, they returned in recent years, issuing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was supposed to be a farewell show at the large venue on September 30, that year.
Yet, they stayed active, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.
Ball lately characterized the duo's new album as a homage to the New York club scene they visited while recording their first two albums.
He noted that his time in medical care had influenced the group's music.
"I had strange recollections when I was in and out of the hospital because I was on morphine," he told a publication.
"The new songs are a digital reflection of the sounds in my head from those days.
"In parallel, it's about the experiences me and Marc had in the 80s."
The last versions were completed only a short time before Ball passed away. It is due for release in the spring of 2026.
