Dave Ball, best known for his work in the band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66, his bandmate Marc Almond has announced.
On Thursday, a statement from Almond, 68, confirmed that Ball had died on Wednesday, days after they completed their band’s final albums.
Almond said in a statement: ‘It is hard to write this, let alone process it, as Dave was in such a great place emotionally. He was focused and so happy with the new album that we literally completed only a few days ago.
‘It’s so sad as 2026 was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work. Dave’s music is better than ever.
‘His tunes and hooks are still unmistakably Soft Cell, yet he always took it to the next level too.
‘He was a wonderfully brilliant musical genius, and the pair of us have been on a journey together for almost 50 years.’
He then reflected on their early career together, remembering that they always worked well together as they had such different spirits.
‘In the early days, we were obnoxious and difficult, two belligerent art students who wanted to do things our way, even if it was the wrong way. We were naive and made mistakes, although we never really saw them as such.
‘It was all just a part of the adventure. Dave and I were always a bit chalk and cheese, but maybe that’s why the chemistry between us worked so well.’
Almond revealed his sadness and added that he wished his musical partner had ‘stayed on long enough to celebrate our 50 years together in a couple of years’ time.’
