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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 global success with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album their initial full-length release is considered a classic of synth-pop.

He later founded the pioneering techno group The Grid, who secured chart success with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his rest at his residence in London on October 22, just weeks after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

During that show, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a spate of health issues.

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

Following catching pneumonia and developing blood poisoning, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and remained in hospital for half a year.

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

"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we literally completed only a short time ago," said the singer in a heartfelt message.

"It's so sad as 2026 was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he heard the finished record and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond referred to his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant musical genius", adding: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

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

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".

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

"That's how it was with us. We went through so many remarkable, extraordinary, memorable experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world 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 adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his first name from Paul to David, alongside his younger sister his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

He encountered Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both learning fine arts. Inspired by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly recorded an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an distinctive combination: Ball was the quiet musician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and makeup; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a fascination with electronic instruments after watching the band Kraftwerk appear on a television science show Tomorrow's World, and started to marry dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling song of 1981, selling millions of copies globally. Alongside hits by Gary Numan, Human League and electronic acts, it contributed to cleared the path for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

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

They followed the album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which peaked at the second position in the following year.

Professional Journey

Success had its upsides. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having money and travelling, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball recently shared with a music magazine.

But it also presented problems. "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 cliché for a valid cause, because it works for so many musicians."

During the party-filled existence, the duo were also drifting apart, but they managed to produce a follow-up classic album - the unconventional, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving 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 mixed acid house with melodic sounds over a long-lasting partnership.

Reunions and Final Projects

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

After another break, they reappeared in 2018, issuing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was intended to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on 30 September, that year.

Yet, they remained active, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball lately characterized the band's new album as a homage to the New York club scene they visited while recording their initial records.

He noted that his period in medical care had shaped the group's music.

"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 head from those days.

"In parallel, it's about the experiences me and Marc got up to in the 80s."

The final mixes were completed only a short time before Ball passed away. It is due for release in the spring of 2026.