The talented musician, a key member of the innovative 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.
Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the duo achieved a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record their initial full-length release is considered a seminal work of electronic music.
He subsequently founded the pioneering techno group The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.
Ball died peacefully in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, just weeks after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event 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 spate of health issues.
"I ended up damage myself quite a bit," he stated in a recent interview. "I broke lower vertebrae in my spine and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my arm."
After contracting a lung infection and developing sepsis, he was placed in an induced coma and remained in hospital for seven months.
Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" during the warmer months, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication next year.
"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we literally completed only a short time ago," said the singer in a tribute.
"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was completely planned to be such an uplifting 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 referred to his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "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 aspect of my life and for the songs you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."
His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".
"Being in a partnership with someone is distinct from being in a band, the bond is very tight," he continued.
"That was the case with us. We went through so many remarkable, incredible, memorable moments as a team. Many thanks, Dave."
Early Life
Brought into the world into a single-parent household in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.
He was raised in the seaside town with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his first name from Paul to his adopted name, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was similarly welcomed.
He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a shared love of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the very year, and quickly recorded an extended play.
Musical Partnership
The pair were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the quiet technician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all glitter and eye-liner; but they achieved a rare creative synergy.
Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after watching the band Kraftwerk perform on a television science show a popular series, and started to marry dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.
Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling song of the early 80s, shifting 21 million copies globally. Alongside hits by other artists, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it contributed to paved the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.
The track was also featured on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which produced two further top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They followed the album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which peaked at number two in 1982.
Professional Journey
Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my first home, having financial security and exploring, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a music magazine.
But it also caused challenges. "Newfound wealth allowed we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the boredom" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.
"I know that's a common saying, but it's a cliché for a valid cause, because it works for so many musicians."
Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to create a follow-up classic album - the unconventional, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.
They released one more album, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to concentrate on other projects.
Almond proceeded to have a successful solo career, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined dance music with melodic sounds over a long-lasting collaboration.
Later Work and Comebacks
Soft Cell came back together in the early 2000s, producing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.
Following another break, they returned in 2018, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a final performance at the large venue on September 30, 2018.
However, they stayed together, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.
Ball recently characterized the band's new album as a homage to the New York club scene they visited while making their initial records.
He noted that his period in medical care had shaped the band's sound.
"I had strange recollections when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on morphine," he told a music magazine.
"The new songs are a digital reflection 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 finished only days before Ball passed away. It is due for launch in Spring 2026.
