Dave Ball, one half of Soft Cell and a pioneer of British synth-pop, has died at his home in London, aged 66.
His representatives announced the news, without specifying the cause of death.
Marc Almond, historic companion in musical adventures, paid tribute to him:
He was a wonderfully brilliant musical genius… Thank you, Dave, for being such a huge part of my life and for the music you gave me. I wouldn't be where I am without you.”
Born in Chester in 1959, adopted and raised in Blackpool, Ball discovered his electronic vocation listening to Kraftwerk's Autobahn. At Leeds Polytechnic he met Almond, and from that meeting was born in 1978 a partnership that would change the face of pop music. With their nocturnal and decadent synth-pop, Soft Cell brought iconic songs such as Tainted Love, Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye to the charts.
The global success of Tainted Love in 1981 transformed the duo into a symbol of an era: a perfect balance between melodrama and electronic pulsation. After the breakup in 1984, Ball continued between collaborations and new projects — from Grid with Richard Norris, protagonists of the acid house scene with Swamp Thing, up to production for Kylie Minogue.
In recent years he had reconnected with Almond, with whom he had just completed Danceteria, Soft Cell's new album. “He was in a wonderful moment in his life,” Almond recalled. “Happy, focused, full of enthusiasm. It consoles me to know that he listened to the finished album and was proud of it.
