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

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the duo achieved a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a classic of electronic music.

He later formed the innovative techno group The Grid, who achieved chart success with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his sleep at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time 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 performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a spate of ill-health.

"I ended up damage myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my back and cracked about five ribs and broke my arm."

Following catching pneumonia and developing blood poisoning, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and remained in the hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" during the summer, as he was developing a new album with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for publication in the coming year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the latest project that we actually finished only a few days ago," said the singer in a heartfelt message.

"It's so sad as 2026 was completely planned to be such an positive year for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond described his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant musical genius", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.

"Many thanks Dave for being an significant part of my existence and for the music you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without you."

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, also paid tribute, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "steadfast support".

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

"That was the case with us. We went through so many extraordinary, incredible, life-affirming moments together. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

Born into a single-parent household in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half of age.

He grew up in Blackpool with his new family his caregivers, who changed his first name from Paul to David, alongside his sibling his sister, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both learning art. Fuelled by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and quickly recorded an EP.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an unusual combination: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they attained a unique creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk appear on BBC program a popular series, and started to marry dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling song of the early 80s, shifting millions of copies worldwide. Together with successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped paved the way for the electronic music style of the 80s.

The song was also included on their first album, their initial LP, which spawned two further 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

Fame had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to afford my first home, having financial security and travelling, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago told with a publication.

But it also caused problems. "Sudden riches allowed we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the boredom" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball explained.

"I know that's a common saying, but it's a truism for a good reason, because it applies for so many musicians."

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also growing distant, but they succeeded to produce a follow-up classic album - the unconventional, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released another album, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to focus on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a prosperous solo career, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined acid house with melodic sounds over a long-lasting collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, producing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.

After another hiatus, they returned in 2018, releasing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on September 30, that year.

However, they remained together, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball lately characterized the band's upcoming release as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while making their first two albums.

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

"I experienced unusual memories when I was in and out of the hospital because I was on morphine," he told a music magazine.

"The new songs are a digital reflection of the sounds in my head from that time.

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

The final mixes were finished only days before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for launch in the spring of 2026.