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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 vocalist Marc Almond, the team achieved a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record their initial full-length release is regarded as a classic of electronic music.

He later formed the innovative techno group The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with 1994's Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, just weeks after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in the Thames-side town.

Recent Health Challenges

During that performance, Ball appeared in a mobility chair, as he had for the last two years, after a period of ill-health.

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he stated in a recent interview. "I broke spinal bones in my spine and fractured about five ribs and fractured my arm."

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 fresh record with Almond, called Danceteria, which is scheduled for release in the coming year.

"He was focused and so happy with the latest project that we literally finished only a few days ago," said the vocalist in a heartfelt message.

"It's so sad as next year 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 masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

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

"Thank you Dave for being an immense aspect of my existence and for the songs you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."

Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".

"Forming a partnership with someone is different from joining a group, the bond is very tight," he continued.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many remarkable, incredible, memorable experiences as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

Born into a single-parent household in Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half of age.

He was raised in Blackpool with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his first name from his birth name to David, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was also adopted.

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

Musical Partnership

The pair were an distinctive combination: Ball was the reserved musician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all sparkle and makeup; but they attained a rare creative synergy.

Ball had developed a interest with electronic instruments after watching Kraftwerk appear on a television program Tomorrow's World, and started to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling song of the early 80s, shifting 21 million units globally. Together with successful tracks by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it helped paved the path for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The song was also featured on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned two additional high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the album up with the stand-alone single, 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 exploring, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago told with a music magazine.

But it also caused challenges. "Newfound wealth allowed we could afford newfound drugs to relieve the monotony" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball explained.

"I realize that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a good reason, because it works for so many musicians."

During the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also growing distant, but they managed to produce a follow-up memorable record - the unconventional, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released one more album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to focus on individual endeavors.

Almond proceeded to have a successful solo career, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who mixed dance music with ambient pop over a enduring partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell came back together in the early 2000s, releasing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.

Following another hiatus, 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 farewell show at the O2 Arena on 30 September, that year.

Yet, they stayed active, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball recently characterized the band's new album as a homage to the NYC nightlife they frequented while recording their initial records.

He noted that his time in hospital had influenced the group's music.

"I had strange recollections when I was in and out of the 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.

"Simultaneously, it's about the experiences we got up to in the 1980s."

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