🔗 Share this article

The talented musician, one half of the pioneering 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Together with singer Marc Almond, the team scored a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album their initial full-length release is considered a classic of electronic music.

He subsequently founded the pioneering techno group The Grid, who secured chart success with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his sleep at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

At that show, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the last two years, after a period of health issues.

"I managed to injure myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and fractured about multiple ribs and broke my arm."

After catching pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and remained in the hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "high spirits mentally" over the summer, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for publication in the coming year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we literally completed only a few days ago," stated the singer in a heartfelt message.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was completely planned to be such an positive year for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he listened to the finished record and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

Almond described his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", stating: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

"Many thanks Dave for being an immense part of my life and for the songs you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."

Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

"Forming a partnership with someone is distinct from being in a group, the bond is very tight," he continued.

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, extraordinary, life-affirming moments together. Thank you, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months of age.

He was raised in Blackpool with his new family his caregivers, who changed his first name from Paul to his adopted name, together with his younger sister Susan, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both learning fine arts. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly recorded an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an distinctive combination: Ball was the quiet musician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a rare musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with electronic instruments after watching the band Kraftwerk perform on a television program Tomorrow's World, and started to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling single of 1981, selling 21 million copies globally. Together with successful tracks by Gary Numan, Human League and electronic acts, it contributed to paved the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The song was also featured on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two further top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at number two in 1982.

Career Highlights

Success 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 recently shared with a music magazine.

But it also presented challenges. "Newfound wealth meant we could afford substances to relieve the boredom" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball said.

"I know that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it applies for so many bands."

Amidst the party-filled existence, the duo were also drifting apart, but they managed to produce a follow-up memorable record - the wayward, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

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

Almond went on to have a successful solo career, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed acid house with melodic sounds over a enduring collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell came back together in 2001, releasing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

After 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 farewell show at the large venue on September 30, that year.

However, they remained active, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

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

He noted that his time in medical care 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 digital reflection of the sounds in my head from that time.

"In parallel, it's about the times me and Marc got up to in the 80s."

The final mixes were finished only a short time before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for release in the spring of 2026.