Soft Cell musician dies at 66

Musician David Ball, co-founder of Soft Cell with singer Marc Almond, died in the early hours of Wednesday, in London, his family announced this Thursday, October 23, cited by BBC News.

Marc Almond, on his website, also announced Ball’s death, with a farewell message to his “wonderful and brilliant” friend: “This is difficult to write, and even more difficult to process, but it is with the greatest sadness that I share that the other half of Soft Cell, the wonderful and brilliant musical genius David Ball, died peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday night [para quarta]”. David Ball was 66 years old.

David Ball’s death comes about two months after his last live performance, at the Rewind Festival, a few days after the completion of Soft Cell’s next album, “Danceteria”, with release announced for spring 2026.

According to Almond, David Ball had been ill for a long time and his health was slowly deteriorating. However, “He always returned with a determined spirit to continue his work in the studio” and although he was unable to travel extensively, he was still able to perform in the UK.

Soft Cell’s last concert took place last August, at the Rewind Festival, in Henley, and was attended by 20 thousand people. The BBC recalls that David Ball performed in a wheelchair, similar to what had happened in other concerts in recent years, after “a series of health problems”.

After this final performance, David Ball “was euphoric and very excited”, describes Almond on his website. “We agreed to expand the ‘Soft Cell family’, and he always supported the concerts and festivals he couldn’t attend; he was always present in some way. His live role was taken over by Philip Larsen, co-producer and friend, but the music and pre-production continued to be Dave’s work, it was his essence that the public heard”.

“It’s heartbreaking, especially now, because Dave was in a good emotional state, focused and happy with the new album, ‘Danceteria’, which we had finished a few days ago. I heard the album for the first time yesterday [quarta-feira]. This saddens me deeply, because it would have been an incredible year for him.”lamented Almond.

In the long farewell message, Almond says that they were both “like water and oil” – and that their differences made them work well together.

Almond, who saw Ball as “the heart of Soft Cell”, concluded the message by thanking him for his music and for being “a huge part” of his life.

“I wish he had stayed a little longer to celebrate his 50th birthday [do duo]. He will always be loved by fans. It’s a commonplace to say this, but their music lives on: somewhere in the world, at any moment, someone is listening, playing, dancing or enjoying a Soft Cell song, even if it’s just that two and a half minute epic.”wrote Marc Almond.

David Ball grew up in Blackpool, England, after being given up for adoption at 18 months. He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both studying art.

That same year, they formed Soft Cell and shortly afterwards recorded their first EP, “Mutant Moments”, released in 1980.

A year later, the single “Tainted Love” would be released from the album “Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret”, which sold 21 million copies worldwide.

Among the duo’s many hits are “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye”, “Torch”, “Purple Zone” and “Sex Dwarft”.

Ball was also part of the ‘techno’ duo The Grid, which took “Swamp Thing” to the British Top10. His bandmate from that time, Richard Norris, also reacted to Ball’s death, recalling their “endless laughter” and “unshakable friendship”.

“Being in a duo with someone is different from being in a band, the bond is much stronger. That’s what happened to us”he added.