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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.

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the duo achieved a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a seminal work of electronic music.

He subsequently founded the innovative electronic act The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his rest at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

At that show, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the last two years, after a spate of health issues.

"I managed to damage myself quite a bit," he commented in 2023. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my back and fractured about five ribs and fractured my wrist."

After contracting pneumonia and developing blood poisoning, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" over the warmer months, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we literally completed only a short time ago," stated the singer in a tribute.

"It's so sad as next year was all set to be such an positive time for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he heard the finished record and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

Almond referred to his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.

"Many thanks Dave for being an significant aspect of my existence and for the songs you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."

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

"Forming a duo with someone is distinct from joining a group, the bond is very tight," he continued.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many remarkable, extraordinary, life-affirming experiences as a team. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

Born into a one-parent family in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.

He grew up in Blackpool with his new family his caregivers, who changed his given name from his birth name to his adopted name, alongside his sibling his sister, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both studying fine arts. Fuelled by a shared love of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the same year, and promptly produced an EP.

Musical Partnership

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

Ball had cultivated a interest with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk appear on BBC program Tomorrow's World, and started to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular single of the early 80s, shifting 21 million copies globally. Alongside hits by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it contributed to cleared the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The track 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 followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at the second position in the following year.

Professional Journey

Fame had its benefits. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having money and travelling, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball not long ago told with a music magazine.

But it also presented problems. "Sudden riches meant we could purchase substances to alleviate the monotony" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball explained.

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

During the party-filled existence, the duo were also growing distant, but they managed to produce a follow-up classic album - the unconventional, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

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

Almond went on to have a successful solo career, including the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who mixed dance music with ambient pop over a long-lasting partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, releasing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.

After a further break, they reappeared in 2018, issuing 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, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball recently described the band's new album as a tribute to the New York club scene they frequented while recording their first two albums.

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

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

"Our latest tracks are a electronic representation of the noises in my mind from those days.

"Simultaneously, it's about the times we had in the 1980s."

The last versions were completed only a short time before Ball died. It is due for launch in Spring 2026.