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

Together with singer Marc Almond, the pair scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album their initial full-length release is regarded as a classic of synth-pop.

He subsequently formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

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

Health Struggles

During that performance, Ball appeared in a mobility chair, as he had for the last two years, following a period of ill-health.

"I managed to damage myself significantly," he stated in a recent interview. "I fractured spinal bones in my back and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."

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

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits mentally" over the warmer months, as he worked on a new album with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for release next year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we actually finished only a short time ago," said the vocalist in a heartfelt message.

"It's so sad as 2026 was completely planned to be such an uplifting time for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the completed album and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond described his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

"Thank you Dave for being an significant part of my life 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, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

"Being in a partnership with someone is different from joining a band, the bond is incredibly close," he added.

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

Formative Years

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

He grew up in the seaside town with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his given name from Paul to David, alongside his sibling his sister, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both learning art. Fuelled by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly recorded an extended play.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all sparkle and makeup; but they achieved a rare musical alchemy.

Ball had developed a interest with synthesizers after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on a television program Tomorrow's World, and started to marry moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling single of 1981, shifting 21 million copies globally. Alongside successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it contributed to paved the path for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The track was also featured on their full-length debut, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned two further top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which peaked at the second position in the following year.

Professional Journey

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

But it also presented challenges. "Newfound wealth meant we could purchase substances to relieve the boredom" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball explained.

"I know that's a common saying, but it's a cliché for a good reason, because it applies for so many musicians."

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also drifting apart, but they managed to create a second classic album - the wayward, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

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

Almond went on to have a successful individual path, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed acid house with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

After another break, they returned 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 O2 Arena on September 30, that year.

However, they remained together, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball lately described the duo's upcoming release as a tribute to the New York club scene they frequented while recording their initial records.

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

"I experienced unusual memories when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a music magazine.

"The new songs are a digital reflection of the noises in my mind from those days.

"In parallel, it's about the times 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 Spring 2026.