Soft Cell frontman Marc Almond has revealed his record label forced him to hide his sexuality after warning him his ‘career would be over’.The singer, 69, rose to fame as a member of the iconic band back in the 1980s, but said he was ‘scared’ to publicly share he was gay.Describing it as a ‘strange and scary time’, Marc shared that many other artists including The Pet Shop Boys and Morrissey were told to suppress their sexuality.Soft Cell are best known for their 1981 hit Tainted Love, and their platinum-selling debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret. He said: ‘We were scared. We were told our career would be over. You don’t have to say yes or no – just be blurry. ‘And everybody was in those days. The Pet Shop Boys. I think Morrissey still is? But we never wanted to be role models to young kids. We had a song called Sex Dwarf… It was a strange, scary time.’ Soft Cell frontman Marc Almond has revealed his record label forced him to hide his sexuality after warning him his ‘career would be over’Marc went on to tell The Times that he felt his sexuality was ‘bloody obvious’ to the public, adding: ‘Dave would roll his eyes. He would say, ‘Can you make it just a little bit less gay?’ But the records were hits. ‘People didn’t care. It’s as if I had a neon sign, shouting it from the rooftops. I was as camp as I could possibly be.’Morrissey has previously clarified his sexuality in a 2013 post on the fansite True to You, where he posted: ‘Unfortunately, I am not homosexual.’In technical fact, I am humasexual. I am attracted to humans. But, of course, not many.’Marc formed Soft Cell with keyboardist Dave Ball in 1978 after they met as students at Leeds Polytechnic. Their cover of Gloria Jones’s Tainted Love topped the UK chart in 1981 and they followed it with singles such as Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.Ball later formed the dance act The Grid with fellow producer Richard Norris.David died last October just days after completing a final album with Marc. The singer rose to fame as a member of the iconic band back in the 1980s, but said he was ‘scared’ to publicly share he was gay (pictured in 1984)He completed a seventh Soft Cell album, called Danceteria, with Almond in the days before his death, with the record due for release next month.Almond, who worked alongside him for 46 years, paid tribute to a ‘wonderfully brilliant musical genius’ and said he would not be where he was without him.A statement on the band’s website described Ball as a ‘gregarious, warm-hearted man of many musical talents’, while his record label BMG said few artists had shaped electronic music as he had.Ball left instructions in his will that he wanted to be cremated.Following Ball’s death last October, Soft Cell manager Chris Smith said of his final months: ‘I have never seen Dave so prolific, animated or energised about the future and that’s why this news comes as such a shock.’He and Marc have both been so excited about the new Soft Cell album, which was only finished a few days ago.’They were planning a major tour for 2026, and since they reunited seven years ago to sell out The O2, they have been on such a consistent, upward trajectory.’Dave was a genial, larger-than-life character and a quiet, understated genius of electronic music with a wicked and unique sense of humour.’He was respected by his peers and I will miss him immensely, but I’m also really happy he got to see how loved he was in the most recent stages of his long career.’