David Ball, composer of the British duo Soft Cell, died at the age of 66. He was a respected pioneer of electronic music, known for the hit Tainted Love, and had just finished an album.
David Ball, one half of the British electronic duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66. The electronic music pioneer died peacefully in his sleep at his London home on Wednesday, the band confirmed in a statement on Thursday. TASR writes about it according to the DPA agency.
- David Ball, member of the electronic duo Soft Cell, has died.
- Soft Cell completed the album shortly before his death.
- Soft Cell became famous with the song Tainted Love, released in 1981.
- David Ball also worked with Kylie Minogue and David Bowie.
- The new album Danceteria is to be released in the spring of 2026.
His bandmate and singer Marc Almond described Ball in a statement as “an amazingly brilliant musical genius” and “the heart and soul of Soft Cell”. He stated that they had completed another Danceteria album just days before his death. A few weeks ago, Soft Cell played their last gig as a headliner at the Rewind festival in Henley-on-Thames.
David Ball was born on May 3, 1959 in Chester, England, grew up in Blackpool and met the singer Almond during his studies. Together in 1979 they founded Soft Cell.
They became famous for their synthpop cover of Gloria Jones’ 1965 song “Tainted Love”, which became the UK’s best-selling single of 1981. After the breakup of Soft Cell in the 1990s, he formed The Grid, also working with Kylie Minogue and David Bowie. In 2000, Soft Cell reunited for a series of live shows and a mini-tour. Soft Cell Danceteria’s last album should be released in the spring of 2026.
