ICONIC musician Dave Ball has died aged 66.
The synth player and producer was one half of popular band Soft Cell.
Representatives for the musician said he “passed away peacefully in his sleep at his London home on Wednesday”.
Dave’s cause of death has not yet been given.
His partner in Soft Cell, Marc Almond, paid tribute, writing: “He was a wonderfully brilliant musical genius.
“Thank you Dave for being an immense part of my life and for the music you gave me.
“I wouldn’t be where I am without you”.
Forming in the late 1970s, Ball and Almond were pioneers of the synth pop sound which would become popular in the 1980s.
The duo were best known for songs such as their cover of Gloria Jones’s Tainted Love, Say Hello, Wave Goodbye and Torch.