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

Together with singer Marc Almond, the pair achieved a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record their initial full-length release is considered a classic of synth-pop.

He later founded the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with their 1994 single 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.

Health Struggles

At that performance, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a period of health issues.

"I managed to damage myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I broke spinal bones in my spine and fractured about five ribs and broke my arm."

Following catching a lung infection and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and remained in hospital for seven months.

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

"He was focused and so happy with the new album that we actually completed only a few days ago," said the vocalist in a tribute.

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

Heartfelt Messages

Almond described his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant musical genius", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.

"Thank you Dave for being an immense part of my existence and for the music you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."

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

"Forming a partnership with someone is different from joining a band, the connection is incredibly close," he added.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many remarkable, extraordinary, memorable moments as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half of age.

He was raised in the seaside town with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his given name from Paul to David, together with his sibling Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

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

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after watching Kraftwerk appear on a television science show a popular series, and began to combine moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second most popular song of the early 80s, shifting millions of copies worldwide. Alongside successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped paved the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

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

They followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at number two in 1982.

Career Highlights

Success had its upsides. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having money and exploring, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago told with a music magazine.

But it also caused challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could purchase substances to alleviate the boredom" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball explained.

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

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

They released another LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to focus on other projects.

Almond proceeded to have a prosperous individual path, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed dance music with melodic sounds over a long-lasting partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell came back together in the early 2000s, producing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.

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

Yet, they stayed active, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

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

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

"I had strange recollections when I was in and out of hospital because I was on morphine," he explained to a publication.

"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 got up to in the 80s."

The last versions were completed only days before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.