Marc Almond has paid an emotional tribute to his soft cell partner David Ball. 

By Miles Salter

Photo: David and Marc performing at the O2 Arena, 3 October 2018, posted to Marc Almond’s Facebook page

Writing on Facebook, Almond said: ‘today I say goodbye to Dave for the last time.’ 

Ball died last month at the age of 66, after a lengthy battle with illness. In 2022 Ball suffered a bad fall which resulted in a fractured spine, broken ribs and wrist, pneumonia, and sepsis.

Ball and Almond enjoyed considerable success as Soft Cell, scoring big hits in the early 1980s with Tainted Love and Say Hello Wave Goodbye. They were one of British pop’s pioneering acts in their use of synthesisers and drum machines. Along with acts Like Kraftwerk and Depeche Mode, Soft Cell were highly influential in their use of technology. 

Almond posted a picture of the electro-pioneers together from a gig at the O2 Arena in October 2018. He wrote: ‘…I think it was probably our most emotional and arguably our greatest moment. In an Arena show where there are bells and whistles, smoke and mirrors, lights, visuals, singers and added players, I felt the last moment should come down to just me and Dave, how we started, a singer and a synth player that set a blueprint for other British bands that came after.

‘Such a nice and simple combination. Like a cabaret duo on a sea front promenade pub or bar singing current hits and standards with a Bontempi organ and an over reverbed mic.

‘I went and stood next to Dave so the cameras could get the money shot and the focus would just be on the pair of us. The Arena lit up with phones, over 20,000 people singing along, it was a magic moment and what it’d all been about in the first place. Goodbye Dave and thank you, Soft Cell was yours, I was just the singer.’