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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 scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album their initial full-length release is regarded as a classic of electronic music.

He subsequently founded the innovative electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with 1994's Swamp Thing.

Ball died calmly in his sleep at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

During that show, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the last two years, following a spate of health issues.

"I managed to injure myself quite a bit," he stated in a recent interview. "I broke spinal bones in my back and fractured about multiple ribs and fractured my arm."

After contracting a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in the hospital for seven months.

Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place mentally" during the warmer months, as he worked on a new album with Almond, called Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication in the coming year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we literally completed only a short time ago," stated the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was all set to be such an positive year for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he heard the completed album and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond referred to his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.

"Thank you Dave for being an significant part of my existence 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, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

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

"That was the case with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, memorable experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

Born into a one-parent family in Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was 18 months old.

He was raised in the seaside town with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his given name from Paul to David, alongside his younger sister his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both studying art. Fuelled by a shared love of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and promptly recorded an EP.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an distinctive combination: Ball was the reserved technician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all sparkle and makeup; but they attained a rare creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on a television program Tomorrow's World, and began to marry moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the UK's second most popular single of the early 80s, shifting millions of units globally. Alongside hits by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it contributed to paved the way for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

The track was also included on their first album, their initial LP, which produced two further high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in the following year.

Career Highlights

Fame had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to afford my initial property, having money and exploring, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball recently shared with a publication.

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

"I know that's a common saying, but it's a cliché for a good reason, because it works for so many bands."

Amidst the party-filled existence, the pair were also growing distant, but they managed to produce a second memorable record - the unconventional, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to concentrate on other projects.

Almond went on to have a prosperous individual path, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed dance music with ambient pop over a enduring partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, producing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.

After a further break, they returned in recent years, issuing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a farewell show at the large venue on 30 September, 2018.

However, they stayed active, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.

Ball lately characterized the band's upcoming release as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while recording their initial records.

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

"I had unusual memories when I was in and out of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a music magazine.

"The new songs are a electronic representation of the noises in my mind from those days.

"In parallel, it's about the times me and Marc got up to in the 1980s."

The final mixes were finished only days before Ball died. It is due for release in the spring of 2026.