Soft Cell star Dave Ball has died at the age of 66, his bandmate Marc Almond has confirmed.
The electronic musician’s death comes just weeks after he performed his final gig with Soft Cell, headlining Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.
Ball’s death was confirmed by the band on Thursday, with a statement from Almond, 68, saying he wished his musical partner, who died on Wednesday, days after completing the band’s final album, would have “stayed on long enough to celebrate our 50 years together in a couple of years’ time”.
Dave Ball, one half of the electro-pop duo Soft Cell, has died aged 66.
More below ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/bCDREfmJ4W— Far Out Magazine (@FarOutMag) October 23, 2025
Almond said: “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.
“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.”
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