Dave Ball, one half of Tainted Love hitmakers Soft Cell, dies, aged 66

Electronic musician Dave Ball, who was one half of the popular 1980s band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

The musician, who formed the duo with Marc Almond, died on Wednesday, just days after completing a new Soft Cell album.

Fomed in the late 1970s, Soft Cell were pioneers of the synth-pop sound which would become popular in the 1980s, and became best known for songs such as their chart-topping cover of Gloria Jones's Tainted Love, Say Hello, Wave Goodbye, and Torch.

Paying tribute, Almond, 68, described Ball as a "wonderfully brilliant musical genius" and said they were "always a bit chalk-and-cheese", but the chemistry they had together worked and was always there, even after long periods apart.

"It is hard to write this, let alone process it, as Dave was in such a great place emotionally," Almond said. "He was focused and so happy with the new album that we literally completed only a few days ago...

"He will always be loved by the Soft Cell fans who love his music and his music and memory will live on. At any given moment, someone somewhere in the world will be getting pleasure from a Soft Cell song.

"Thank you Dave for being an immense part of my life and for the music you gave me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."

Soft Cell's debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, released in 1981, is one of the most acclaimed albums of the decade, and the first of three they released in less than three years before the duo split in 1984.

A reunion in 2000 brought a fourth album, Cruelty Without Beauty, while their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, again came after a long break, in 2022.

The band completed their sixth studio album, Danceteria, just days before Ball's death. Named after the 1980s New York nightclub, it is due to be released in the spring of next year "in full tribute to Dave and his recent purple patch of songwriting and production".

His death also comes just weeks after what has turned out to be his final live appearance with the band, headlining the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

'The bond is very tight' in a duo

Away from Soft Cell, Ball was also one half of acid house act The Grid, alongside musician and producer Richard Norris. They enjoyed chart success in the 1990s, most notably with the top three single and international hit Swamp Thing.

Paying tribute, Norris said: "Dave has been a huge part of my musical life for many years. Being in a duo with someone is different from being in a band, the bond is very tight. That's how it was with us.

"We went through so many remarkable, extraordinary, life-affirming experiences together. Thank you, Dave. Thanks for the good times, the endless laughter, your unwavering friendship. Most of all, thank you for the music."

Chris Smith, manager of Ball and Soft Cell, also paid tribute, saying he had never seen the musician as "prolific, animated or energised about the future" as he had been in recent months.

Soft Cell were planning a major tour for 2026, he said, "and since they reunited seven years ago to sell out The O2, they have been on such a consistent, upward trajectory".

He continued: "Dave's 'other band', The Grid, had also just signed a new record deal with BMG, and his diary was filled for years ahead with new releases and other activities.

"Dave was a genial, larger-than-life character and a quiet, understated genius of electronic music with a wicked and unique sense of humour. He was respected by his peers, and I will miss him immensely, but I'm also really happy he got to see how loved he was in the most recent stages of his long career."

Ball also worked as a songwriter, producer and remixer for other artists, co-writing and co-producing Kylie Minogue's Impossible Princess album, which produced the hits Breathe and Some Kind of Bliss in the 1990s. He also worked with other stars including David Bowie, the Pet Shop Boys and Erasure, and alternative acts such as Psychic TV and Gavin Friday.

He is survived by his close family, including his four children.

(c) Sky News 2025: Dave Ball, one half of Tainted Love hitmakers Soft Cell, dies, aged 66