WASHINGTON — Dave Ball, one half of the English electronic music duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Ball passed away peacefully in his sleep at his London home on Oct. 22, according to an announcement on the band’s website .

Singer Marc Almond, Dave’s musical collaborator of nearly 50 years and Soft Cell bandmate, paid tribute to the “wonderfully brilliant musical genius."

Soft Cell was best known for their 1981 hit "Tainted Love," which topped the charts in 18 countries around the world and was Britain’s best-selling single of that year, the band said.

While a cause of death was not given, Almond said in his tribute that Ball had been “ill for a long while and his health had been in slow decline over recent years" but he always came back with a determined spirit to continue w

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