In 1981, an unlikely group from Leeds scored a number one hit with their icy cover version of an obscure 60s soul hit.
With Tainted Love, Soft Cell set a template for 80s synth-pop duos: The flamboyant frontman paired with an unassuming keyboard technician.
Dave Ball, who has died at the age of 66, was that musical force, creating ominous, polyphonic soundscapes to match Marc Almond's lyrics about X-rated movies and sado-masochism.
Tainted Love sold more than 21 million copies over the worl and was followed by hits such as Say Hello, Wave Goodbye and Torch, before the band split in 1984. Reunited in the 2000s, they had completed a new album in the days before Ball's death.
In a statement, the musician's family said he had died peacefully in his sleep at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October.
