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The talented musician, a key member of the innovative 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the team achieved a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album their initial full-length release is considered a classic of synth-pop.

He later formed the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball died calmly in his rest at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, just weeks after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event 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 commented in a recent interview. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my back and fractured about five ribs and broke my arm."

After contracting pneumonia and suffering from blood poisoning, he was placed in an induced coma and stayed in the hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "a great place emotionally" over the warmer months, as he was developing a new album with Almond, called Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the latest project that we literally completed only a short time ago," stated the singer in a heartfelt message.

"It's so sad as next year was completely planned to be such an positive time for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he heard the finished record and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond referred to his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant musical genius", adding: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.

"Thank you Dave for being an immense aspect of my existence and for the songs you gave me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."

Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "constant humor" and "steadfast support".

"Forming a partnership with someone is distinct from joining a band, the bond is very tight," he added.

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, incredible, memorable experiences as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

Brought into the world into a single-parent household 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 Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his given name from Paul to his adopted name, alongside his sibling his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a shared love of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and promptly recorded an extended play.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the reserved technician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all glitter and makeup; but they achieved a rare creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with electronic instruments after watching Kraftwerk perform on BBC program Tomorrow's World, and began to combine dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling song of 1981, shifting millions of units globally. Together with successful tracks by Gary Numan, Human League and electronic acts, it contributed to cleared the path for the electronic music style of the 80s.

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

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

Career Highlights

Fame had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to afford my first home, having financial security and travelling, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball not long ago told with a publication.

But it also caused problems. "Sudden riches meant we could purchase substances to relieve the boredom" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball said.

"I realize that's a cliché, but it's a cliché for a valid cause, because it works for so many bands."

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

They put out another LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to focus on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a successful individual path, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined acid house with ambient pop over a long-lasting partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

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

After a further break, they reappeared in 2018, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was intended to be a final performance at the large venue on 30 September, that year.

Yet, they stayed together, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.

Ball lately described the duo's new album as a homage to the New York club scene they visited while making their initial records.

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

"I had strange recollections when I was in and out of the hospital because I was on morphine," he told a music magazine.

"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the sounds in my mind from those days.

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

The final mixes were finished only a short time before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for release in the spring of 2026.