The talented musician, a key member of the pioneering 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.
Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the pair achieved a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record their initial full-length release is considered a seminal work of electronic music.
He later founded the innovative electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.
Ball died peacefully in his sleep at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, just weeks after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.
Recent Health Challenges
At that show, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the last two years, after a period of ill-health.
"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he commented in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and cracked about five ribs and fractured my wrist."
Following contracting a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and remained in hospital for seven months.
Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits mentally" during the summer, as he worked on a new album with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for release in the coming year.
"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we literally completed only a few days ago," stated the singer in a tribute.
"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was all set to be such an positive year for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he heard the completed album and believed that it was a great piece of work."
Tributes
Almond referred to his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant musical genius", adding: "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 music you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."
His Grid bandmate 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 connection is incredibly close," he added.
"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, incredible, memorable moments together. Many thanks, Dave."
Early Life
Brought into the world into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half of age.
He was raised in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who changed his first name from Paul to David, together with his sibling Susan, who was also adopted.
He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both learning art. Inspired by a shared love of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and quickly produced an EP.
Creative Collaboration
The pair were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the reserved musician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they attained a unique creative synergy.
Ball had cultivated a interest with electronic instruments after watching the band Kraftwerk appear on BBC science show a popular series, and began to combine moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.
Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular song of the early 80s, selling 21 million units worldwide. Together with successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it contributed to cleared the way for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.
The track was also included on their first album, their initial LP, which spawned two additional high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They followed the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at number two in 1982.
Professional Journey
Success had its upsides. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having money and exploring, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball recently shared with a music magazine.
But it also presented problems. "Sudden riches meant we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the monotony" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.
"I realize that's a cliché, but it's a cliché for a good reason, because it works for so many musicians."
Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to create a second classic album - the unconventional, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.
They released one more LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to focus on other projects.
Almond went on to have a successful solo career, featuring the top 10 hit 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, producing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.
Following a further break, they reappeared in recent years, releasing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was supposed to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on 30 September, that year.
Yet, they stayed together, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.
Ball lately described the band's upcoming release as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while recording their first two albums.
He noted that his time in medical care 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 told a publication.
"Our latest tracks are a electronic representation of the sounds in my mind from those days.
"In parallel, it's about the experiences me and Marc got up to in the 80s."
The last versions were completed only a short time before Ball passed away. It is due for release in the spring of 2026.
