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The talented musician, one half of the pioneering 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Together with singer Marc Almond, the team achieved a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a classic of electronic music.

He later founded the pioneering techno group The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with 1994's Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, just weeks after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in the Thames-side town.

Recent Health Challenges

At that show, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the last two years, after a period of ill-health.

"I ended up damage myself significantly," he stated in a recent interview. "I broke lower vertebrae in my back and fractured about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."

Following contracting a lung infection and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" during the summer, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for publication next year.

"He was focused and so happy with the latest project that we actually completed only a short time ago," said the vocalist in a tribute.

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

Tributes

Almond referred to his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", stating: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our body of work.

"Many thanks Dave for being an significant aspect of my existence and for the music you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."

Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

"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 experienced so many extraordinary, extraordinary, life-affirming moments together. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

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

He was raised in the seaside town with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from Paul to David, alongside his sibling Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly recorded an extended play.

Musical Partnership

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

Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk perform on a television program Tomorrow's World, and started to combine moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling single of 1981, shifting 21 million copies globally. Alongside successful tracks by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The track was also included on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned 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 number two in 1982.

Career Highlights

Fame had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my initial property, having money and exploring, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball not long ago shared with a publication.

But it also presented challenges. "Newfound wealth allowed we could afford substances to alleviate the boredom" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball explained.

"I know that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a good reason, because it works for so many bands."

During the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also growing distant, but they succeeded to produce a follow-up classic album - the unconventional, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

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

Almond proceeded to have a successful individual path, including the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who mixed acid house with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, releasing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following another break, they returned in recent years, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a final performance at the large venue on 30 September, that year.

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

Ball recently described the band's upcoming release as a homage to the New York club scene they visited while recording their first two albums.

He noted that his time in hospital had influenced the band's sound.

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

"The new songs are a electronic representation of the sounds in my head from that time.

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

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