Dave Ball obituary

"When the synth-pop duo Soft Cell formed in 1977, Dave Ball, who has died in his sleep aged 66, made the perfect foil for the vocalist Marc Almond. Where Almond was mercurial and histrionic, Ball assumed the role of mysterious and reclusive mastermind. Almond would invariably be writhing in something black and skin-tight, possibly festooned with zips, while Ball might be wearing a suit and tie and attending soberly to his keyboard."

"Ball's death comes a few weeks after Soft Cell's headlining performance at the Rewind Festival at Henley-on-Thames in August, where he took to the stage in a wheelchair. This was the result of a serious accident in March 2022, when he fell down the stairs at his south London home and broke his back, leading to a protracted stay in intensive care."

"I was pretty much unconscious for about two months, as I was in an induced coma, he said. I was so medicated, I was on everything, from morphine upwards. I was even on fentanyl, and that's the stuff that killed Prince. He spent seven months in hospital, suffering medical complications including pneumonia and sepsis. He recovered sufficiently to be able to play live shows and to work in the studio."

Dave Ball, co-founder and keyboardist of synth-pop duo Soft Cell, died in his sleep aged 66. Ball served as a reclusive musical mastermind contrasting Marc Almond's flamboyant stage persona. Ball suffered a serious accident in March 2022, falling down stairs, breaking his back, and spending months in intensive care and induced coma with complications including pneumonia and sepsis. He recovered enough to perform at Rewind Festival in 2023 in a wheelchair and to work in the studio. Soft Cell recently completed their sixth album, Danceteria, scheduled for release next year. Ball was adopted, grew up in Blackpool, and met Almond in 1977.

Read at www.theguardian.com