Dave Ball, the co-founder of electronic music duo Soft Cell, died in his sleep on Wednesday at the age of 66.
In a statement on Soft Cell’s website, the electronic music group announced that Ball, described as a “pioneer” of electronic music and as “one half of the groundbreaking electric music duo Soft Cell and successful acid house act The Grid,” died “peacefully in his sleep” at his home in London on Wednesday at the age of 66.
While Soft Cell’s statement did not confirm the cause of Ball’s death, 68-year-old Marc Almond, the other half of the Soft Cell music duo, noted that the 66-year-old had been “ill for a long while and his health had been in slow decline over recent years.” Despite the decline in Ball’s health, Almond said the 66-year-old “always came back with a determined spirit to continue his work in the studio.” He added that while Ball had been “unable to travel abroad,” he had continued to perform in the United Kingdom.
Soft Cell’s statement noted that the 66-year-old pop star’s final appearance with the music group took place just weeks ago in front of more than 20,000 fans at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.
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“Formed when electronic musician Dave and singer Marc were both art students at Leeds Polytechnic in 1979, Soft Cell helped to define the sound of British music in the 1980s and beyond,” a tribute states on Soft Cell’s website. “Their 1981 debut album, ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’, changed the course of pop and paved the way for an avalanche of synth-based duos, including Yazoo, Eurythmics, Pet Shop Boys and Erasure, while bringing something deliciously dark to the table. Their second single, ‘Tainted Love’, b/w ‘Where Did Our Love Go’, topped the charts in the UK and 17 countries around the world and was certified as Britain’s best-selling single of 1981.”
According to the music duo’s website, Ball and Almond had recently been working on their sixth studio album, which is scheduled for release in the spring of 2026. Soft Cell noted that the final recordings for the album were finished just days before Ball’s death on Wednesday.
In addition to his music career with Soft Cell, Ball also performed with musician Richard Norris in the music duo known as The Grid. According to Soft Cell’s statement, the 66-year-old pop star is survived by multiple family members, including his four children.
