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

Together with singer Marc Almond, the pair achieved a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a classic of electronic music.

He subsequently founded the innovative techno group The Grid, who secured chart success with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

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

Recent Health Challenges

During that show, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the last two years, following a spate of ill-health.

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he commented in a recent interview. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about five ribs and fractured my wrist."

After contracting a lung infection and developing sepsis, he was placed in an induced coma and remained in hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "a great place mentally" during the summer, as he was developing a new album with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for publication next year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we literally completed only a short time ago," said the vocalist in a heartfelt message.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was completely planned to be such an positive time 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 core essence 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 songs you created with me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."

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

"Being in a duo with someone is different from joining a group, the connection is very tight," he added.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many extraordinary, extraordinary, memorable experiences together. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

Brought into the world into a one-parent family in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months old.

He grew up in Blackpool with his new family his caregivers, who changed his given name from Paul to his adopted name, together with his younger sister his sister, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both learning fine arts. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and quickly produced an EP.

Musical Partnership

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

Ball had cultivated a interest with electronic instruments after viewing Kraftwerk perform on BBC program a popular series, and started to marry dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second most popular single of the early 80s, shifting 21 million copies globally. 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 1980s.

The song was also featured on their first album, their initial LP, which spawned two additional top five singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at the second position in 1982.

Professional Journey

Fame had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having financial security and exploring, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago told with a publication.

But it also presented problems. "Sudden riches meant we could afford substances to alleviate the monotony" of media interviews and TV performances, 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 party-filled existence, the pair were also drifting apart, but they managed to produce a second classic album - the unconventional, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released one more LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to focus on other projects.

Almond went on to have a prosperous solo career, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who mixed acid house with ambient pop over a enduring partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, producing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

After another break, they returned in 2018, 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 September 30, 2018.

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

Ball recently characterized the band's new album as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they frequented while recording their initial records.

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

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

"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the sounds in my head from that time.

"Simultaneously, it's about the times me and Marc had in the 1980s."

The final mixes were completed only days before Ball passed away. It is due for launch in the spring of 2026.