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The talented musician, a key member of the groundbreaking 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Together with singer Marc Almond, the pair scored a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a classic of electronic music.

He later founded the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his sleep at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, just weeks after performing 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, following a period of health issues.

"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he commented in a recent interview. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my spine and cracked about five ribs and broke my wrist."

After contracting a lung infection and developing blood poisoning, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in hospital for half a year.

However, he had been in "a great place emotionally" during the summer, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for release in the coming year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the latest project that we literally completed only a few days ago," stated the singer in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was completely planned to be such an uplifting year for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

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

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

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

"Being in a duo with someone is different from joining a group, the connection is incredibly close," he continued.

"That's how it was with us. We went through so many extraordinary, extraordinary, memorable moments together. Thank you, Dave."

Early Life

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

He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his first name from Paul to his adopted name, alongside his sibling his sister, who was similarly welcomed.

He encountered Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both studying art. Fuelled by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and promptly produced an EP.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the quiet musician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all glitter and makeup; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with electronic instruments after watching the band Kraftwerk appear on a television science show a popular series, and began to combine moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling single of the early 80s, shifting 21 million copies globally. Alongside hits by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the path for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

The track was also included on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which produced two further high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at the second position in 1982.

Professional Journey

Fame had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my first home, having financial security and exploring, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball recently shared with a music magazine.

But it also presented challenges. "Newfound wealth meant we could afford substances to alleviate the monotony" of press appearances and television shows, Ball explained.

"I know that's a common saying, but it's a cliché for a valid cause, because it works for so many musicians."

Amidst the party-filled existence, the duo were also drifting apart, but they managed to produce a second classic album - 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 group to concentrate 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 formed The Grid, who combined dance music with melodic sounds over a enduring partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, releasing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

After another hiatus, 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 final performance at the O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.

However, they remained active, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball recently characterized the band's new album as a homage to the New York club scene they visited while recording their first two albums.

He added that his period in hospital had influenced the band's sound.

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

"Our latest tracks are a electronic representation of the sounds in my mind from that time.

"Simultaneously, it's about the times me and Marc got up to in the 80s."

The last versions were finished only a short time before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.