David Ball, the pioneering electronic musician and one half of Soft Cell, died peacefully in his sleep on October 22 at his London home. He was 66.
Born in Blackpool and trained in fine art at Leeds Polytechnic, Ball met Marc Almond in 1979, and together they shaped the sound of early ’80s synth-pop. With Ball’s pulsing synths and minimalist production, Soft Cell created timeless hits like “Tainted Love,” “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye,” and “Torch,” blending grit, glamour, and melancholy into something wholly their own.
After Soft Cell’s first split, Ball formed The Grid with Richard Norris, producing dance music that bridged underground and pop worlds. In later years, he reunited with Almond, completing a new Soft Cell album, Danceteria, shortly before his passing.
Marc Almond called him “a wonderfully brilliant musical genius.” Ball’s influence continues to echo through every modern synth line and club track that dares to mix heart with circuitry.
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Ace Frehley, the original Spaceman and founding guitarist of KISS, died on October 16, 2025, at the age of 74, following complications from a fall in his home studio. Born Paul Daniel Frehley in the Bronx on April 27, 1951, he was the spark behind some of the most electrifying moments in rock. From the first time he stepped on stage in silver makeup and platform boots, Frehley embodied the wild imagination of KISS, a band that turned spectacle into an art form and made arenas feel like rocket launches.
Joining KISS in 1973, Frehley brought both swagger and soul to the group’s sound. His gritty tone powered early classics like “Cold Gin” and “Parasite,” while his own “Shock Me” became a live highlight and personal anthem. When he released his self-titled 1978 solo album, one of four simultaneous KISS solo records, his stood out as the most successful. His hit “New York Groove” became a staple on rock radio and became one of the most recognizable anthems in film and television.
After leaving KISS in 1982, Frehley formed Frehley’s Comet and continued a steady run of solo albums that blended arena rock with NYC street-level attitude. Over the decades he never lost his edge, returning to KISS for their 1996 reunion tour and releasing acclaimed solo work well into his seventies, including 10,000 Volts in 2024.
Ace Finchum, the founding drummer of Welsh glam-metal mainstays Tigertailz, has died at 62. His explosive playing and larger-than-life personality helped define the band’s early sound, raucous, melodic, and unapologetically over the top.
Born Stephen Wayne Finchum in Ipswich, England, Finchum found his calling behind the kit after a short-lived flirtation with guitar. Inspired by the power and precision of drummers like Clive Burr, Tommy Lee, and John Bonham, he brought that same mix of swing and swagger to Tigertailz, the Cardiff band that became a fixture of Britain’s late-’80s glam scene.
Finchum joined Tigertailz in the mid-’80s, holding down the beat on their debut Young & Crazy and their breakout Bezerk, which spun off the hit “Love Bomb Baby” and landed the band in the UK Top 40. His playing was loud but never sloppy, built on feel as much as flash. Onstage, he was a showman in every sense, drumming with a grin, twirling sticks mid-fill, and fueling the chaos that made Tigertailz one of the wildest live bands of their era.
After leaving the group in the early ’90s, Finchum stayed active in music, returning briefly to Tigertailz in the 2010s and continuing to play with the same fiery energy that first put him on the map. His former bandmates remembered him as unpredictable, funny, and full of life, a guy who could turn rehearsal into a party and a gig into a riot.
As reported by Joe Taysom in Far Out Magazine, renowned French singer-songwriter Françoise Hardy has passed away at the age of 80, following a prolonged illness.
Hardy stands as one of France’s most celebrated cultural icons. Born in Paris in 1944, near the end of World War II, she emerged as a key figure in the 1960s yé-yé movement. Her distinctive voice left an indelible mark on music, seamlessly transitioning from poignant adolescent ballads to sophisticated pop classics. Even in her later years, her work, such as the 2018 album Personne d’Autre, remained emotionally resonant and captivating.
Hardy burst onto the scene at 18 with her debut single, “Tous les garçons et les filles,” in 1962, followed by her self-titled debut album. Her musical prowess garnered admiration from contemporaries like Bob Dylan and established her as a French icon. Her influence extended beyond music, as she appeared in films such as Roger Vadim’s Château en Suède and Jean-Luc Godard’s Masculin féminin, though music always remained her true passion.
Beyond her artistic achievements, Hardy also became a muse for influential fashion designers, including Yves Saint Laurent and Paco Rabanne, further cementing her status as a cultural icon. In recognition of her contributions to French culture, Hardy was awarded the Grande Médaille De La Chanson Française in 2006, a prestigious honor given to a select few.
Hardy married fellow musician Jacques Dutronc in 1981, and the couple remained together until her death. In her later years, Hardy was candid about her health struggles. Diagnosed with MALT lymphoma in 2005, she faced significant health challenges and a gradual decline. In 2018, she was further diagnosed with a tumor in her ear.
In a 2021 interview with Femme Actuelle, Hardy revealed that she could no longer sing due to her health issues, stating, “My physical suffering has already been so terrible that I am afraid that death will force me to go through even more physical suffering.” Françoise Hardy’s legacy as a multifaceted artist and cultural icon will endure, remembered for her contributions to music, film, and fashion, and for her courageous openness about her personal battles.
Brother Marquis (Born Mark D. Ross) April 4, 1966 – June 3, 2024
Photo credit: Unknown via wikimedia
As reported by Greg Evans at Deadline, Brother Marquis, the iconic rapper and longtime member of the legendary hip-hop group 2 Live Crew, has passed away – currently of unknown causes – at the age of 58.
2 Live Crew was founded in 1984 in Riverside, California, but it wasn’t until they relocated to Miami and Brother Marquis, born Mark D. Ross, joined in 1986 that the group solidified its most famous lineup. Alongside Christopher Wong Won (Fresh Kid Ice), Luther Campbell (Luke Skyywalker), and David Hobbs (Mr. Mixx), Brother Marquis helped propel the group to new heights. This lineup achieved widespread fame and influence in the late 1980s and early 1990s, reaching a pinnacle with the 1989 album As Nasty as They Wanna Be. The album was both celebrated for its groundbreaking explicit content and heavily criticized, drawing condemnation from commentators and law enforcement.
In 1990, the group faced legal trouble when a Florida undercover police officer attended one of their performances, resulting in misdemeanor obscenity charges against three members, including Brother Marquis. The jury ultimately found them not guilty. Around the same time, a court ruling declared As Nasty as They Wanna Be legally obscene, marking the first instance in U.S. history where an album received such a designation. This ruling was later overturned on appeal.
Ross was born on April 4, 1966, in Rochester, New York. He spent time in both Los Angeles and Miami before joining 2 Live Crew in 1986. His debut with the group was on their album The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are. He also contributed to their subsequent albums, Move Somethin’ (1988), As Nasty As They Wanna Be (1989), Banned in the U.S.A. (1990), and As Nasty as They Wanna Be Part II (1991).
2 Live Crew disbanded in the mid-1990s, but they reunited for tours in the 2000s and finally parted ways following the death of Fresh Kid Ice in 2017. After the group disbanded, Ross continued his musical career, appearing on various records. Notably, he collaborated with Ice-T on the track “99 Problems” from Ice-T’s 1993 album Home Invasion.
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