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Dave Ball, one half of the groundbreaking 1980s synth-pop duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the pair achieved a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a classic of electronic music.

He later founded the innovative techno group The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball died calmly in his sleep at his residence 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

During 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 injure myself significantly," he stated in a recent interview. "I broke lower vertebrae in my spine and fractured about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."

After contracting pneumonia and suffering from blood poisoning, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in hospital for half a year.

However, he had been in "a great place mentally" over the summer, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for release in the coming year.

"He was concentrated and very pleased with the latest project that we literally finished only a short time ago," said the singer in a heartfelt message.

"It's so sad as next year was completely planned to be such an uplifting time for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he heard the completed album and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond referred to his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant musical genius", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.

"Many thanks Dave for being an significant part of my life and for the songs you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without your influence."

Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".

"Forming a duo with someone is different from being in a band, the bond is very tight," he added.

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, incredible, memorable moments together. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a one-parent family in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.

He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his first name from his birth name to David, alongside his sibling Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both studying art. Inspired by a shared love of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and promptly recorded an extended play.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an distinctive combination: Ball was the quiet technician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and makeup; but they attained a rare musical alchemy.

Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk appear on a television science show a popular series, and started to combine dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Their signature song became the UK's second biggest-selling single of 1981, selling 21 million units worldwide. Alongside successful tracks by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped cleared the path for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The song was also included on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two additional high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in 1982.

Professional Journey

Fame had its benefits. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having financial security and travelling, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball not long ago told with a publication.

But it also caused challenges. "Newfound wealth allowed we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the boredom" of press appearances and television shows, Ball explained.

"I know that's a common saying, but it's a cliché for a good reason, because it works for so many musicians."

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also growing distant, but they managed to create a second classic album - the wayward, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another album, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to concentrate on other projects.

Almond proceeded to have a prosperous individual path, including 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 long-lasting collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

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

Following another break, they reappeared in 2018, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.

However, they stayed together, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.

Ball lately characterized the duo's new album as a homage to the NYC nightlife they frequented while recording their first two albums.

He noted that his time in medical care had influenced the band's sound.

"I had strange recollections when I was in and out of 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 those days.

"Simultaneously, it's about the times we had in the 1980s."

The final mixes were completed only days before Ball died. It is scheduled for release in the spring of 2026.