The talented musician, one half of the groundbreaking 1980s synth-pop duo Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.
Together with singer Marc Almond, the team scored a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record their initial full-length release is considered a classic of synth-pop.
He later formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who achieved chart success with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.
Ball died peacefully in his sleep at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, just weeks after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.
Recent Health Challenges
At that performance, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a spate of health issues.
"I ended up damage myself quite a bit," he commented in a recent interview. "I fractured spinal bones in my back and fractured about five ribs and broke my wrist."
After contracting a lung infection and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and remained in hospital for seven months.
Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" during the summer, as he was developing a new album with Almond, called Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.
"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we literally finished only a short time ago," said the singer in a tribute.
"It's so sad as 2026 was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he listened to the finished record and believed that it was a great piece of work."
Heartfelt Messages
Almond referred to his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.
"Thank you Dave for being an significant aspect of my existence and for the music you created with me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."
Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".
"Being in a partnership with someone is distinct from being in a group, the bond is incredibly close," he continued.
"That was the case with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, extraordinary, life-affirming experiences as a team. Thank you, Dave."
Early Life
Born into a one-parent family in the city of Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months old.
He was raised in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his first name from his birth name to his adopted name, alongside his sibling Susan, who was similarly welcomed.
He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and quickly recorded an EP.
Creative Collaboration
The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the quiet musician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.
Ball had cultivated a fascination with synthesizers after viewing Kraftwerk appear on a television science show Tomorrow's World, and started to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.
Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular single of the early 80s, shifting millions of units globally. Alongside successful tracks by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it contributed to cleared the way for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.
The track was also featured on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which spawned two additional high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They continued the album up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in the following year.
Career Highlights
Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to afford my initial property, having financial security and travelling, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball recently told with a music magazine.
But it also presented challenges. "Newfound wealth allowed we could afford substances to alleviate the boredom" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball explained.
"I know that's a common saying, but it's a cliché for a good reason, because it applies for so many bands."
Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also drifting apart, but they managed to produce a second memorable record - the wayward, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.
They released one more LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to focus on other projects.
Almond went on to have a successful individual path, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined dance music with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.
Reunions and Final Projects
Soft Cell reunited in 2001, releasing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.
After a further break, they returned in recent years, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was intended to be a farewell show at the large venue on 30 September, 2018.
However, they remained active, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.
Ball lately described the band's upcoming release as a homage to the NYC nightlife they frequented while making their initial records.
He added that his period in medical care had influenced the group's music.
"I experienced strange recollections when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a music magazine.
"The new songs are a digital reflection of the sounds in my mind from those days.
"In parallel, it's about the experiences me and Marc had in the 80s."
The last versions were finished only days before Ball died. It is scheduled for release in the spring of 2026.
