The talented musician, one half of the pioneering 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.
Together with vocalist 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 considered a classic of electronic music.
He subsequently formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who achieved chart success with 1994's Swamp Thing.
Ball died peacefully in his rest at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, just weeks after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.
Recent Health Challenges
At that show, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the last two years, following a period of ill-health.
"I managed to injure myself significantly," he commented in a recent interview. "I broke spinal bones in my back and fractured about five ribs and fractured my arm."
After contracting pneumonia and developing sepsis, he was placed in an induced coma and stayed in hospital for seven months.
However, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" during the summer, as he worked on a new album with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication in the coming year.
"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we literally finished only a short time ago," said the vocalist in a heartfelt message.
"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was completely planned to be such an positive year for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the completed album and felt that it was a masterpiece."
Heartfelt Messages
Almond referred to his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.
"Many thanks Dave for being an significant part of my existence and for the music you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."
Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".
"Forming a partnership with someone is distinct from being in a band, the bond is very tight," he added.
"That was the case with us. We experienced so many remarkable, incredible, life-affirming moments together. Many thanks, Dave."
Early Life
Born into a one-parent family in Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months old.
He grew up in Blackpool with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his given name from his birth name to his adopted name, alongside his sibling his sister, who was similarly welcomed.
He met Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both studying art. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and promptly recorded an extended play.
Musical Partnership
The duo were an unusual combination: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they achieved a rare musical alchemy.
Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after watching Kraftwerk appear on a television science show a popular series, and began to combine dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.
Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular song of the early 80s, selling 21 million copies globally. Alongside successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped cleared the way for the electronic music style of the 80s.
The track was also featured on their full-length debut, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two further high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They followed the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at number two in the following year.
Career Highlights
Fame had its benefits. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having money and exploring, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a publication.
But it also presented problems. "Sudden riches allowed we could purchase 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 works for so many bands."
Amidst the party-filled existence, the duo were also growing distant, but they managed to create a follow-up classic album - the unconventional, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.
They put out one more LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to concentrate on individual endeavors.
Almond proceeded to have a prosperous solo career, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined acid house with melodic sounds over a long-lasting collaboration.
Reunions and Final Projects
Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, releasing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.
After another break, they reappeared in recent years, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was supposed to be a farewell show at the large venue on 30 September, 2018.
Yet, they remained active, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.
Ball lately described the band's new album as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while recording their initial records.
He noted that his period in medical care had influenced the band's sound.
"I experienced strange recollections when I was in and out of hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a publication.
"Our latest tracks are a electronic representation of the sounds in my mind from that time.
"In parallel, it's about the experiences me and Marc had in the 1980s."
The final mixes were finished only a short time before Ball passed away. It is due for launch in the spring of 2026.
