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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 pair achieved a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a seminal work of electronic music.

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

Ball passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, only a short time after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

At that show, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a period of ill-health.

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he commented in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my back and cracked about multiple ribs and broke my wrist."

Following contracting a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and remained in the hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" over the summer, 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 new album that we literally completed only a few days ago," said the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's so sad as next year was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he listened to the finished record and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond described his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.

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

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, also paid tribute, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".

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

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, extraordinary, life-affirming experiences together. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

Brought into the world into a one-parent family in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.

He was raised in the seaside town with adoptive parents his caregivers, who changed his first name from his birth name to his adopted name, together with his sibling his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both studying art. Inspired by a shared love of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and quickly produced an extended play.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the reserved musician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all sparkle and makeup; but they attained a rare musical alchemy.

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

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling song of 1981, selling 21 million units worldwide. Together with hits by other artists, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it contributed to cleared the way for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

The song was also featured on their full-length debut, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two additional top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the album up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at number two in the following year.

Professional Journey

Fame had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to afford my initial property, having money and exploring, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball recently told with a music magazine.

But it also caused challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford substances to alleviate the monotony" of press appearances and television shows, Ball said.

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

During the party-filled existence, the pair were also growing distant, but they managed to produce a second classic album - the wayward, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the band to focus 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 formed The Grid, who mixed dance music with ambient pop over a enduring partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell came back together in 2001, producing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.

After a further hiatus, they returned in recent years, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a final performance at the O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.

Yet, they stayed together, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball recently described the band's new album as a homage to the NYC nightlife they frequented while making their first two albums.

He added that his time in medical care had influenced the group's music.

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

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

"Simultaneously, it's about the experiences we got up to in the 1980s."

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