English electronic music producer and half of pop duo Soft Cell, Dave Ball, has died at the age of 66. He is also known for being part of acid house act The Grid.
Paul “died peacefully in his sleep at his home in London” on October 22, at the hands of the band Website He explained.
His death comes after he performed alongside Soft Cell member Marc Almond at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames, England, in August. The website indicated that they headlined the festival in front of more than 20,000 fans.
Ball and Almond created the band as art students at Leeds Polytechnic in 1979.
The website said: “Soft Cell helped define the sound of British music in the 1980s and beyond. Their 1981 debut album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, changed the course of pop music and paved the way for a flood of synth-based duos, including Yazoo, Eurythmics, Pet Shop Boys and Erasure, with Bringing something deliciously dark to the table.” “Their second single, ‘Tainted Love’, b/w ‘Where Did Our Love Go’, topped the charts in the UK and 17 countries worldwide and was Britain’s best-selling single of 1981.”
From 1982 to 2021, the band released four more albums: “The Art of Falling,” “This Last Night in Sodom,” “Cruelty Without Beauty,” and “*Happiness Not Included” — as well as what is considered one of the first remix albums, “Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing.”
After his death, Almond revealed that they had just completed a new album “just a few days ago.”
“It’s very sad because 2026 was going to be a big year for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the finished record and felt it was an amazing piece of work,” Almond said. “Dave’s music is better than ever. His melodies and hooks are still unmistakably smooth, yet he always took it to the next level, too. He was an incredible musical genius and the two of us had been on a journey together for nearly 50 years. In the early days, we were obnoxious and difficult, two warring art students who wanted to do things our way, even if it was the wrong way. We were naive and made up.” Mistakes, though we’ve never really seen them like this. It was all just part of the adventure. Dave and I have always been a bit of opposites, but maybe that’s why our chemistry works so well.”
Known as a “fearless sonic innovator,” he was known for creating “mixes of 12-inch singles, often splicing parts of the tape together with razor blades, to give the band a decisive, club-friendly edge.”
In the 1990s, he served as one half of the band The Grid alongside Richard Norris, best known for the song Swamp Thing.
“Dave has been a big part of my musical life for many years. Being in a duo with someone is different from being in a band: the bond is very close,” Norris said. “That’s how it’s been with us. We’ve had so many wonderful, extraordinary, life-affirming experiences together. Thank you, Dave. Thank you for the good times, the endless laughter, and your unwavering friendship. And most of all, thank you for the music.”
Paul was also a respected songwriter, producer and remixer working alongside David Bowie, Kylie Minogue and the Pet Shop Boys.
While Paul’s cause of death has not been revealed, it was I mentioned He has been dealing with health issues for some time.
Paul is survived by his four children.