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The talented musician, one half of the groundbreaking 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the team achieved a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a seminal work of electronic music.

He subsequently formed the innovative electronic act The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with 1994's 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 Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

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

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he stated in 2023. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about five ribs and fractured my wrist."

After catching a lung infection and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an induced coma and remained in the hospital for seven months.

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits mentally" during the summer, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is set for release next year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we actually completed only a few days ago," said the singer in a tribute.

"It's so sad as 2026 was all set to be such an positive year for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he heard the finished record and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

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

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

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "constant humor" and "steadfast support".

"Being in a duo 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, life-affirming experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.

He grew up in the seaside town with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his first name from Paul to David, together with his younger sister his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a shared love of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and promptly produced an EP.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the quiet musician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a unique creative synergy.

Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk appear on BBC program Tomorrow's World, and began to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling single of the early 80s, selling 21 million copies globally. Together with hits by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it contributed to paved the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The track was also included on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which produced two additional top five singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Career Highlights

Fame had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to afford my initial property, having money and exploring, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball recently shared with a music magazine.

But it also presented challenges. "Newfound wealth meant we could purchase newfound drugs to relieve the boredom" of media interviews and television shows, Ball explained.

"I realize that's a common saying, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it applies for so many bands."

During the party-filled existence, the pair were also drifting apart, but they managed to produce a follow-up 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, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined dance music with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

Following a further break, they returned in recent years, issuing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was supposed to be a final performance at the O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.

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

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

He added that his period in hospital had shaped the band's sound.

"I had strange recollections when I was in and out of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a publication.

"The new songs are a electronic representation of the noises in my head from that time.

"Simultaneously, it's about the experiences we got up to in the 80s."

The last versions were completed only a short time before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.