Dave Ball, Soft Cell Musician Known for ‘Tainted Love,’ Dies at 66

Music|Dave Ball, Soft Cell Musician Known for ‘Tainted Love,’ Dies at 66

Dave Ball, a producer and one half of the pioneering English synth-pop duo Soft Cell, best known for its 1981 hit “Tainted Love, has died at his home in London. He was 66.

Marc Almond, his musical partner in Soft Cell, announced his death on social media on Thursday. A cause was not given, but Mr. Almond said in his statement that Mr. Ball had been “ill for a long while and his health had been in slow decline over recent years.” Mr. Almond said he died on Tuesday, while the band’s website said he died on Wednesday.

Despite Mr. Ball’s health struggles, “he always came back with a determined spirit to continue his work in the studio,” Mr. Almond said, “and, although he has been unable to travel abroad, he has still been able to perform with me as Soft Cell on occasions in the U.K.”

Mr. Ball’s last stage appearance, according to Mr. Almond, was in August at the Rewind Festival near Henley-on-Thames, England, where the duo headlined to a crowd of more than 20,000 people.

After that performance, Mr. Ball “was elated and given an enormous boost,” Mr. Almond said.

This is a developing story.