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The talented musician, a key member of the groundbreaking 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Together with singer Marc Almond, the duo achieved a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record their initial full-length release is considered a seminal work of electronic music.

He subsequently formed the innovative techno group The Grid, who achieved chart success with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his rest at his home in London on October 22, just weeks after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

During that show, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a period of health issues.

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he commented in 2023. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my spine and cracked about five ribs and fractured my arm."

Following catching a lung infection and developing blood poisoning, he was placed in an induced coma and stayed in the hospital for half a year.

Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place emotionally" during the warmer months, as he was developing a new album with Almond, called Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we actually finished only a short time ago," stated the singer in a tribute.

"It's so sad as next year was all set to be such an uplifting time for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he heard the completed album and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond described his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", adding: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our body of work.

"Many thanks Dave for being an immense part of my life and for the music you gave me. I wouldn't be where I am without your influence."

Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

"Forming a duo with someone is different from being in a band, the bond is very tight," he continued.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many extraordinary, incredible, life-affirming experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

Born into a one-parent family in Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was 18 months old.

He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his first name from Paul to David, together with his younger sister Susan, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both learning fine arts. Fuelled by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the very year, and quickly produced an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all glitter and eye-liner; but they achieved a rare creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with synthesizers after viewing Kraftwerk appear on BBC science show Tomorrow's World, and started to marry moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling song of the early 80s, selling 21 million units globally. Together with successful tracks by other artists, Human League and electronic acts, it helped cleared the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The track was also included on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two additional top five singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which peaked at the second position in 1982.

Career Highlights

Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having financial security and travelling, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball recently shared with a music magazine.

But it also caused problems. "Sudden riches allowed we could purchase substances to relieve the monotony" of media interviews and television shows, Ball explained.

"I realize that's a common saying, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it applies for so many bands."

Amidst the party-filled existence, the pair were also growing distant, but they managed to create a follow-up memorable record - the wayward, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released one more album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to concentrate on individual endeavors.

Almond proceeded to have a successful solo career, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed dance music with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, producing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following a further break, they returned in 2018, issuing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a final performance at the O2 Arena on September 30, that year.

Yet, they stayed active, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball lately described the duo's upcoming release as a homage to the New York club scene they visited while making their first two albums.

He noted that his time in medical care had shaped the band's sound.

"I had unusual memories when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a publication.

"Our latest tracks are a electronic representation of the noises in my head from that time.

"In parallel, it's about the times me and Marc got up to in the 1980s."

The last versions were finished only a short time before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for release in the spring of 2026.