Goodbye to Dave Ball of Soft Cell

He died at 66 Dave Ballhalf of Soft Cella symbolic duo of electronic music in the 80s, especially for the famous and highly celebrated cover of “Tainted love”. The musician passed away from his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, but the cause of death has not been revealed. The news was given by his long-time partner Marc Almondwith whom Ball shared a 46-year career, calling him “a brilliant and wonderful musician”.

Ball and Almond had founded Soft Cell in the late 1970s, debuting with “Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret” (1981). The album, which is precisely “Tainted love” but also other classics such as “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye”, was part of the wave of fusion between synthetic music and pop that reached the charts

The duo released five studio albums in total, including “The Art of Falling Apart,” “Cruelty Without Beauty” and the latest “Happiness Not Included” (2022), released following their 2018 reunion after 14 years for a concert at the O2 Arena. Almond confirmed that the duo had just finished recording a new album, “Danceteria”. Ball’s last public appearance dates back to a few weeks ago, when Soft Cell headlined the Rewind Festival in front of 20,000 people.

In his farewell message, Marc Almond remembered Ball with these words:

“It’s hard to write this, let alone accept it, because Dave was in a beautiful moment, full of energy and happiness about the new album we had just finished. It’s sad, because 2026 would have been a year full of joy for him, and I find some comfort in knowing that he listened to the finished record and considered it a great work. His music was stronger than ever, his melodies unmistakably Soft Cell, but always taken to the next level.”
Dave was a brilliant musician and we shared nearly fifty years of journey together. At the beginning we were two stubborn and arrogant art students, we wanted to do things our way, even when we made mistakes. Maybe that’s why our chemistry worked.
Every time we met again after long periods there was always that same understanding, that chemistry, a mutual respect that gave strength to our songs. We laughed a lot, shared a love of movies, books and music. Dave was the heart and soul of Soft Cell, and I’m proud of our legacy.
It’s almost symbolic that our next – and now final – album is called Danceteriabecause it takes us back to New York in the early 1980s, where many of our ideas took shape. Dave will always be loved by fans and his music will live on forever. At any moment, somewhere in the world, someone will listen to a Soft Cell song.
Thank you Dave, for being a huge part of my life and for the music you gave me. I wouldn’t be where I am without you.”

Dave Ball leaves behind four children and his family, who have asked to respect their privacy at this time.