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

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the duo scored a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a classic of synth-pop.

He later founded the pioneering techno group The Grid, who secured chart success 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 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 last two years, after a spate of health issues.

"I managed to damage myself quite a bit," he stated in a recent interview. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my spine and cracked about five ribs and broke my arm."

Following contracting pneumonia 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 "a great place emotionally" during the summer, as he worked on a new album with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for publication in the coming year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the latest project that we literally finished only a short time ago," stated the singer in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was all set 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 great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond described his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", stating: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.

"Many thanks 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, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "constant humor" and "steadfast support".

"Being in a partnership with someone is distinct from being in a band, the connection is incredibly close," he continued.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many remarkable, extraordinary, life-affirming experiences together. 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 a year and a half of age.

He was raised in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who changed his first name from his birth name to his adopted name, alongside his younger sister his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

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

Musical Partnership

The duo were an distinctive combination: Ball was the reserved musician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all glitter and eye-liner; but they achieved a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with synthesizers after viewing Kraftwerk perform on a television program Tomorrow's World, and started to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second most popular single of the early 80s, selling 21 million units worldwide. Alongside hits by other artists, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it contributed to paved the way for the electronic music style of the 80s.

The track was also featured on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which produced two additional high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the record up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at number two 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 might seem like a beauty queen," Ball recently shared with a publication.

But it also caused problems. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford substances to alleviate the monotony" of press appearances and television shows, Ball explained.

"I realize that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a good reason, because it applies for so many musicians."

During the party-filled existence, the pair were also growing distant, but they managed to create a second classic album - the wayward, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to focus on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a successful solo career, featuring the top 10 hit 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 the early 2000s, producing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following a further break, they reappeared in recent years, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was intended to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on 30 September, that year.

However, they stayed together, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball recently described the duo's upcoming release as a homage to the NYC nightlife they frequented while recording their first two albums.

He added that his period in medical care had shaped the group's music.

"I had unusual memories when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a music magazine.

"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the sounds in my mind from those days.

"Simultaneously, it's about the times me and Marc got up to in the 80s."

The last versions were finished only days before Ball passed away. It is due for launch in the spring of 2026.