The talented musician, a key member of the pioneering 1980s electronic music duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.
Alongside singer Marc Almond, the team achieved a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a seminal work of electronic music.
He later founded the innovative techno group The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with 1994's Swamp Thing.
Ball died peacefully in his sleep at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.
Recent Health Challenges
During that performance, Ball appeared in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a spate of health issues.
"I managed to damage myself quite a bit," he stated in a recent interview. "I broke lower vertebrae in my spine and cracked about five ribs and fractured my wrist."
After catching a lung infection and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an induced coma and stayed in the hospital for seven months.
However, he had been in "high spirits mentally" during the warmer months, as he worked on a new album with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.
"He was concentrated and so happy with the latest project that we actually finished only a few days ago," said the vocalist in a tribute.
"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was completely planned to be such an uplifting year for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he heard the completed album and believed that it was a great piece of work."
Tributes
Almond referred to his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", adding: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.
"Many thanks Dave for being an significant aspect of my life and for the music you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."
His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".
"Forming a duo with someone is different from joining a band, the bond is incredibly close," he continued.
"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, life-affirming experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."
Formative Years
Brought into the world into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months old.
He was raised in the seaside town with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his given name from Paul to his adopted name, together with his sibling his sister, who was similarly welcomed.
He encountered Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both learning art. Fuelled by a shared love of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and promptly recorded an extended play.
Musical Partnership
The pair were an distinctive combination: Ball was the quiet technician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all sparkle and makeup; but they achieved a unique musical alchemy.
Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after watching Kraftwerk appear on BBC science show a popular series, and began to combine moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.
Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling song of the early 80s, selling 21 million copies worldwide. Alongside hits by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped paved the way for the electronic music style of the 80s.
The track was also featured on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which spawned two additional 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.
Professional Journey
Fame had its upsides. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having financial security and travelling, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago told with a publication.
But it also presented challenges. "Newfound wealth meant we could purchase newfound drugs to relieve the boredom" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.
"I know that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it works for so many musicians."
Amidst the party-filled existence, the duo were also growing distant, but they succeeded to create a follow-up memorable record - the unconventional, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.
They put out one more LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to focus on individual endeavors.
Almond proceeded to have a successful solo career, including the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined dance music with ambient pop over a long-lasting partnership.
Reunions and Final Projects
Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, releasing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.
After another hiatus, they reappeared in recent years, releasing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a final performance at the O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.
However, they remained active, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.
Ball recently characterized the duo's new album as a homage to the New York club scene they visited while recording their first two albums.
He noted that his time in medical care had influenced the group's music.
"I had strange recollections 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 noises in my head from that time.
"In parallel, it's about the experiences me and Marc had in the 80s."
The final mixes were finished only days before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for release in the spring of 2026.
