Dave Ball Dies At The Age Of 66 After Completing His New Album, Soft Cell

JAKARTA - David James Ball alias Dave Ball, a member of the iconic synth-pop duo Soft Cell, died at the age of 66. The death of the voice architect behind the revolutionary hits "Tainted Love" comes just days after he finished Soft Cell's latest album.

The Ball family confirmed that the British musician died in sleep at his London home on Wednesday, October 22. This sad news comes less than two months after Soft Cell took the stage at the Rewind Festival at Henley-on-Thames, which is witnessed by 20,000 fans.

Dave Ball himself is known as a figure who created a dark polyphonic sound landscape, which became the foundation of a musical that matched Marc Almond's lyrics which was the vocalist of Soft Cell.

This unique formula made Soft Cell, which was formed in Leeds in 1981, a blueprint for synth-pop duo in the 1980s.

The song "Tainted Love," a recycled version of an obscure 1960s-era hit soul, became a global sensation, selling more than 21 million copies worldwide. The success was followed by other hits such as "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" and "Torch", before they disbanded in 1984.

However, the most touching is his last moment. Almond revealed that Ball was in a good emotional condition throughout the summer while working hard for Soft Cell's new album, 'DANCEteria', which is scheduled to be released next year.

"He is focused and very happy with the new album that we really just finished a few days ago," Almond said, quoted by the BBC, Friday, October 24.

"It's really sad because 2026 has been arranged to be a very happy year for him, and I feel a little entertained by the fact that he heard the finished recording and felt it was a great work."

Almond did not forget to thank his bandmate. "Thank you Dave for being a big part of my life and for the music you gave me," said Almond. "I won't be in your hands without you."

In the last two years, Ball has faced various health problems, forcing him to appear on stage in a wheelchair.

To the Yorkshire Post in 2023, he once told a story of pneumonia and sepsis. He was also placed in an induced coma and had to be hospitalized for seven months.

"I suffered severe damage. I suffered a lower spine fracture and cracked about five ribs and a broken wrist," said Ball.

The traumatic experience at the hospital, according to Ball, also affected the color of Soft Cell's music. "I have a strange memory when I go in and out of the hospital because I use morphine," he said. "These new songs are digital reflections of the voices in my head from that time. In parallel, it's about the times Marc and I went through in the 80s."

Outside of Soft Cell, Ball is also a member of the duo techno pioneer of The Grid, who made the top 10 UK charts in 1994 with the hit "Swamp Thing". Richard Norris, Ball's partner at The Grid, also paid his respects.

"Being in a duo with someone is different from being in a band. The association is very close," said Norris. "That's how it happened to us. We went through so many extraordinary, unusual experiences, and confirmed our lives together. Thank you, Dave."