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The talented musician, a key member of the innovative 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Together with singer Marc Almond, the team scored a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record their initial full-length release is regarded as a classic of electronic music.

He later formed the innovative techno group The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with 1994's Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his sleep at his residence in London on October 22, just weeks after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.

Recent Health Challenges

During that performance, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a spate of ill-health.

"I managed to damage myself quite a bit," he commented in a recent interview. "I broke spinal bones in my spine and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."

After catching a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and remained in the hospital for half a year.

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

"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we actually finished only a short time ago," said the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the completed album and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Tributes

Almond referred to his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", 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 wouldn't be where I am without you."

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

"Forming a partnership with someone is distinct from being in a group, the bond is very tight," he continued.

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, life-affirming experiences as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

Brought into the world into a one-parent family in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was 18 months of age.

He grew up in Blackpool with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from his birth name to David, together with his younger sister his sister, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both learning fine arts. Fuelled by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and promptly recorded an extended play.

Musical Partnership

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

Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing Kraftwerk appear on a television program a popular series, and began to combine moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the UK's second most popular song of the early 80s, selling 21 million units worldwide. Alongside hits by other artists, Human League and electronic acts, it contributed to paved the way for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

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

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

Professional Journey

Success had its upsides. "I loved being able to purchase my first home, having money and exploring, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a publication.

But it also presented problems. "Sudden riches meant we could purchase newfound drugs to relieve the monotony" 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."

Amidst the party-filled existence, the duo were also growing distant, but they managed to create a second memorable record - the unconventional, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

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

Almond went on to have a successful solo career, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined acid house with melodic sounds over a enduring collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

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

Following another break, they returned in 2018, issuing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a final performance at the large venue on 30 September, 2018.

However, they remained active, 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 making their first two albums.

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

"I experienced strange recollections when I was in and out of hospital because I was on morphine," he explained to a music magazine.

"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 80s."

The final mixes were completed only a short time before Ball passed away. It is due for release in Spring 2026.