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

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the duo scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a classic of electronic music.

He later formed the innovative electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

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

Recent Health Challenges

At that performance, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the last two years, after a period of ill-health.

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

Following contracting pneumonia and developing blood poisoning, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and remained in the hospital for half a year.

Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place mentally" over the summer, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication in the coming year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the latest project that we literally completed only a short time ago," said the singer in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was completely planned to be such an uplifting time for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he listened to the completed album and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond described his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.

"Thank you Dave for being an significant part of my life and for the music you gave me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, also paid tribute, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

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

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

Formative Years

Born 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 of age.

He was raised in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his first name from his birth name to David, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both learning art. Inspired by a shared love of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the same year, and promptly recorded an EP.

Musical Partnership

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

Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on BBC science show a popular series, and started to combine dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling song of the early 80s, shifting 21 million units globally. Together with hits by other artists, Human League and electronic acts, it contributed to cleared the way for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The track was also included on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned two additional high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Career Highlights

Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having financial security and travelling, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball recently told with a music magazine.

But it also presented problems. "Newfound wealth meant we could purchase 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 applies for so many bands."

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

They released one more LP, 1984's 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 combined acid house with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell came back together in 2001, releasing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

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

However, they stayed active, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.

Ball lately described the duo's new album as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they visited while making their first two albums.

He added that his period in medical care had influenced the band's sound.

"I experienced strange recollections 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 electronic representation of the sounds in my mind from that time.

"Simultaneously, it's about the experiences me and Marc got up to in the 1980s."

The final mixes were completed only days before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for launch in Spring 2026.