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The talented musician, one half of the pioneering 1980s synth-pop duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Together with singer Marc Almond, the duo scored a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a classic of synth-pop.

He later founded the pioneering techno group The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball died calmly in his rest at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

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

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

After contracting a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was placed in an induced coma and remained in hospital for half a year.

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

"He was concentrated and so happy with the latest project that we actually finished only a short time ago," said the singer in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was all set to be such an uplifting time for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond described his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", adding: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.

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

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "constant humor" and "steadfast support".

"Forming a partnership with someone is distinct from being in a group, the connection is incredibly close," he continued.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many remarkable, incredible, life-affirming moments as a team. Thank you, Dave."

Formative Years

Born into a one-parent family in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months of age.

He was raised in Blackpool with his new family his caregivers, who altered his given name from his birth name to his adopted name, alongside his younger sister his sister, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both learning art. Fuelled by a shared love of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly recorded an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the quiet technician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they achieved a rare creative synergy.

Ball had developed a interest with electronic instruments after watching the band Kraftwerk appear on a television program Tomorrow's World, and began to combine dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second most popular song of 1981, shifting 21 million copies globally. Alongside successful tracks by other artists, Human League and electronic acts, it contributed to cleared the way for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The song was also featured on their full-length debut, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned two further high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at the second position in 1982.

Professional Journey

Success had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to afford my initial property, having money and travelling, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago told with a music magazine.

But it also presented problems. "Newfound wealth allowed we could afford newfound drugs to alleviate the monotony" of press appearances 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."

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

They released another LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to concentrate on other projects.

Almond proceeded 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 dance music with ambient pop over a long-lasting partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

After a further break, they returned in 2018, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was supposed to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.

Yet, they remained active, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.

Ball recently described the band's upcoming release as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they visited while making their initial records.

He added that his time in medical care had influenced the group's music.

"I had 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 electronic representation of the sounds in my head from that time.

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

The last versions were finished only a short time before Ball died. It is scheduled for release in the spring of 2026.