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The talented musician, one half of the groundbreaking 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the duo achieved a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a seminal work of synth-pop.

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

Ball passed away calmly in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, only a short time after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

During that show, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a period of health issues.

"I managed to injure myself significantly," he stated in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my back and fractured about multiple ribs and broke my wrist."

After contracting pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an induced coma and remained in hospital for half a year.

Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place mentally" over the warmer months, as he worked on a new album with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.

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

"It's so sad as next year was completely planned to be such an positive time for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he heard the completed album and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond described his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "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 significant part of my existence and for the music you created with me. I couldn't be where I am without you."

Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

"Being in a duo with someone is different from being in a group, the connection is incredibly close," he added.

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, life-affirming 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 18 months of age.

He grew up in the seaside town with adoptive parents his caregivers, who changed his first name from Paul to David, together with his younger sister his sister, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both learning art. Fuelled by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly recorded an extended play.

Musical Partnership

The duo were an unusual combination: Ball was the reserved technician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all sparkle and makeup; but they achieved a unique creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with synthesizers after viewing the band Kraftwerk appear on BBC science show a popular series, and began to marry dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling song of 1981, shifting 21 million copies worldwide. Together with successful tracks by other artists, Human League and electronic acts, it helped cleared the way for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

The track was also featured on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned two further high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Professional Journey

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

But it also caused problems. "Sudden riches meant we could afford substances to alleviate the monotony" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.

"I know that's a cliché, but it's a cliché for a good reason, because it applies for so many musicians."

Amidst the party-filled existence, the duo were also drifting apart, but they managed to create a follow-up classic album - the wayward, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released one more album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to concentrate on other projects.

Almond went on to have a prosperous individual path, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined dance music with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, producing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following another hiatus, they returned in recent years, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on September 30, that year.

Yet, they stayed active, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.

Ball lately characterized the band's new album as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they frequented while making their first two albums.

He added that his period in hospital had shaped the group's music.

"I experienced unusual memories when I was in and out of hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a music magazine.

"The new songs are a digital reflection of the sounds in my mind from those days.

"In parallel, it's about the experiences we had in the 1980s."

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