Dave Ball, a British producer best known for being part of the synth-pop duo Soft Cell, passed away at the age of 66.
On Thursday, October 23, the news of his death was shared by the other Soft Cell half and lead vocalist Marc Almond on Instagram.
Sharing his photograph, the singer penned, "It is hard to write this, let alone process it, but it is with the greatest sadness that the other half of Soft Cell, the wonderful brilliant musical genius David Ball, died peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday night."
"As many of you are aware, Dave has been ill for a long while and his health had been in slow decline over recent years," he added.
Almond further noted that despite his ill health, which restricted him from travelling abroad, he continued to perform with him as Soft Cell in the UK, with his last appearance being the Rewind Festival in August.
Born in 1959 and raised in Blackpool, England, the electro-pop pioneer studied at the Arnold School and then Leeds Polytechnic, where he met Almond.
In 1979, the duo formed Soft Cell while they were both art students at the school.
Throughout their career, Soft Cell transformed British music in the 1980s, beginning with the release of their 1981 debut LP Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.
The band's second single, a reworked cover of the 1981 Ed Cobb-penned track Tainted Love, topped the UK Singles Chart and was known as the best-selling single of the year in the country.
Ball also formed pioneering acid house act The Grid, who had a hit with their 1994 song Swamp Thing.
