Dave Ball, who served as half of the English duo Soft Cell and perhaps best known for the 1981 hit “Tainted Love,” has died. He was 66.

Marc Almond, Ball’s music partner and the other half of the synth-pop pair, announced the news in a Facebook post on Thursday.

Almond, 68, revealed that the late instrumentalist died “peacefully in his sleep” on Tuesday, Oct. 21. No cause of death was given. 7

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“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,” the Soft Cell co-founder shared. “Yet he always came back with a determined spirit to continue his work in the studio.”

The “Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret” artist added that although Ball had been “unable to travel abroad,” he was “still able to perform with me as Soft Cel

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