The talented musician, one half of the pioneering 1980s synth-pop duo Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.
Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the duo scored a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a seminal work of synth-pop.
He later formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who secured chart success with 1994's Swamp Thing.
Ball passed away calmly in his rest at his residence in London on October 22, only a short time after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in the Thames-side town.
Health Struggles
During that performance, Ball appeared in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a spate of ill-health.
"I ended up damage myself quite a bit," he stated in 2023. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my spine and fractured about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."
After catching a lung infection and developing blood poisoning, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and remained in the hospital for half a year.
However, he had been in "high spirits mentally" over the warmer months, as he was developing a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is set for publication in the coming year.
"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we literally finished only a few days ago," said the singer in a heartfelt message.
"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was completely planned to be such an positive year for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he listened to the finished record and believed that it was a great piece of work."
Tributes
Almond described his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our body of work.
"Thank you Dave for being an significant part of my existence and for the songs you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without you."
His Grid bandmate from The Grid, also paid tribute, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "steadfast support".
"Forming a partnership with someone is different from joining a band, the bond is very tight," he added.
"That was the case with us. We experienced so many remarkable, incredible, memorable experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."
Formative Years
Born into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was 18 months old.
He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his first name from Paul to David, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was similarly welcomed.
He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both learning fine arts. Fuelled by a shared love of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly recorded an EP.
Creative Collaboration
The duo were an unusual combination: Ball was the quiet musician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all glitter and makeup; but they achieved a rare musical alchemy.
Ball had cultivated a fascination with synthesizers after viewing Kraftwerk appear on a television program a popular series, and began to marry moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.
Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling song of the early 80s, shifting 21 million copies globally. Alongside hits by other artists, Human League and electronic acts, it helped cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.
The song was also included on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned two further high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in the following year.
Professional Journey
Fame had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my first home, having financial security and travelling, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball recently shared with a music magazine.
But it also presented problems. "Sudden riches allowed we could purchase substances to relieve the boredom" of press appearances and television shows, Ball said.
"I know that's a common saying, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it works for so many bands."
During the party-filled existence, the duo were also growing distant, but they managed to create a second classic album - 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 band to focus on individual endeavors.
Almond proceeded to have a prosperous individual path, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined acid house with ambient pop over a long-lasting collaboration.
Reunions and Final Projects
Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, releasing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.
After another hiatus, they reappeared in 2018, releasing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a farewell show at the large venue on September 30, that year.
However, they stayed together, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.
Ball lately characterized the band's new album as a homage to the New York club scene they visited while recording their first two albums.
He added that his time in hospital had shaped 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 sounds in my mind from those days.
"Simultaneously, it's about the times we had in the 80s."
The last versions were finished only a short time before Ball died. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.
