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

Alongside singer 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 regarded as a classic of electronic music.

He subsequently founded the pioneering techno group The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his rest at his residence in London on October 22, just weeks after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

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

"I managed to damage myself quite a bit," he commented in 2023. "I broke spinal bones in my back and cracked about five ribs and fractured my arm."

After contracting a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was put in an induced coma and stayed in hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" 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 focused and so happy with the latest project that we actually finished only a few days ago," stated the vocalist in a heartfelt message.

"It's so sad as next year was completely planned to be such an uplifting time for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he heard the finished record and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

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

"Thank you Dave for being an significant part of my life and for the songs you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without you."

Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".

"Being in a duo with someone is distinct from joining a band, the bond is very tight," he continued.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many extraordinary, extraordinary, memorable experiences together. Thank you, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in Chester in 1959, Ball was given 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 his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both learning art. Fuelled by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and promptly produced an EP.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an unusual combination: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all sparkle and makeup; but they attained a rare musical alchemy.

Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk perform on BBC program a popular series, and started to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling single of the early 80s, selling millions of units worldwide. Together with successful tracks by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the path for the electronic music style of the 80s.

The song was also featured on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which spawned two further top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the album up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in 1982.

Career Highlights

Success had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to afford my first home, having money and exploring, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball not long ago shared with a music magazine.

But it also presented challenges. "Newfound wealth 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 applies for so many bands."

During the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also growing distant, but they managed to create a follow-up classic album - the wayward, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another album, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to focus on other projects.

Almond went on to have a prosperous individual path, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed acid house with ambient pop over a long-lasting partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, producing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following a further break, they returned in recent years, releasing 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 stayed active, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball lately characterized the duo's upcoming release as a homage to the NYC nightlife they visited while making their first two albums.

He noted that his period in hospital had influenced the band's sound.

"I experienced strange recollections when I was in and out of the hospital because I was on morphine," he explained to a music magazine.

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

"Simultaneously, it's about the times we had in the 1980s."

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