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

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the pair achieved a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a classic of synth-pop.

He subsequently formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who achieved chart success with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball died peacefully in his sleep at his residence in London on October 22, only a short time after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

During that performance, Ball performed in a mobility chair, 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 broke lower vertebrae in my back and fractured about five ribs and fractured my wrist."

Following catching pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an induced coma and stayed in hospital for half a year.

However, he had been in "a great place mentally" during the warmer months, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, called Danceteria, which is set for release in the coming year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the latest project that we actually finished only a few days ago," stated the vocalist in a heartfelt message.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was completely planned to be such an uplifting year for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he listened to the completed album and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

Almond referred to his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

"Many thanks Dave for being an immense aspect of my life and for the songs you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without you."

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".

"Being in a partnership with someone is different from joining a band, the bond is incredibly close," he continued.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many remarkable, extraordinary, memorable experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

Born into a one-parent family in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months of age.

He grew up in the seaside town with his new family his caregivers, who changed his given name from Paul to his adopted name, together with his younger sister Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He encountered Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both studying art. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and promptly recorded an EP.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an unusual combination: Ball was the reserved technician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a rare creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with synthesizers after viewing Kraftwerk appear on BBC program Tomorrow's World, and started to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Their signature song became the UK's second biggest-selling single of the early 80s, shifting 21 million copies globally. Alongside hits by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it contributed to paved the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The track was also featured on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which produced two additional high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at the second position in the following year.

Career Highlights

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

But it also caused challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could purchase newfound drugs to relieve the boredom" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.

"I know that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it applies for so many musicians."

Amidst the party-filled existence, the duo were also growing distant, but they managed to produce a follow-up memorable record - the wayward, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more album, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to concentrate on other projects.

Almond proceeded to have a successful solo career, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined acid house with melodic sounds over a enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, releasing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

After another break, they reappeared in recent years, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was intended to be a final performance at the O2 Arena on 30 September, 2018.

However, they remained together, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball recently characterized the band's upcoming release as a homage to the New York club scene they visited while recording their initial records.

He noted that his period in hospital had influenced the group's music.

"I had strange recollections when I was in and out of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a music magazine.

"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the noises in my head from those days.

"Simultaneously, it's about the experiences me and Marc had in the 1980s."

The final mixes were finished only a short time before Ball died. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.