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The talented musician, one half of the pioneering 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.

Together with singer Marc Almond, the duo scored a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a seminal work of electronic music.

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

Ball died calmly in his rest at his home in London on October 22, just weeks after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

At that show, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a period of health issues.

"I managed to injure myself significantly," he stated in a recent interview. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and fractured about five ribs and fractured my arm."

Following contracting a lung infection and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and remained in the hospital for half a year.

However, he had been in "high spirits mentally" during the warmer months, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is set for publication in the coming year.

"He was concentrated and very pleased with the latest project that we literally completed only a short time ago," said the singer in a tribute.

"It's so sad as 2026 was all set to be such an uplifting time for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond referred to his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our body of work.

"Thank you Dave for being an immense part 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, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

"Being in a duo with someone is different from joining a band, the bond is very tight," he added.

"That was the case with us. We went through so many extraordinary, extraordinary, memorable moments as a team. Thank you, Dave."

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months old.

He was raised in Blackpool with his new family his caregivers, who changed his first name from Paul to David, together with his younger sister Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both learning fine arts. Inspired by a shared love of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly recorded an extended play.

Musical Partnership

The pair were an distinctive combination: Ball was the quiet musician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all sparkle and makeup; but they attained a rare musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk appear on a television program Tomorrow's World, and started to marry moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Their signature song became the UK's second biggest-selling song of 1981, shifting millions of copies worldwide. Alongside successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it helped cleared the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.

The track was also featured on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned two additional top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

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

Career Highlights

Success had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to afford my initial property, having financial security and travelling, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball not long ago shared with a music magazine.

But it also presented problems. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford newfound drugs to alleviate the monotony" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball said.

"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 duo were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to create a second classic album - the unconventional, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to focus on individual endeavors.

Almond proceeded to have a prosperous solo career, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed dance music with melodic sounds over a long-lasting collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

Following another hiatus, they returned in 2018, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was intended to be a farewell show at the large venue on September 30, that year.

However, they stayed active, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

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

He noted that his period in medical care had shaped the band's sound.

"I had strange recollections when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to 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 we got up to in the 80s."

The final mixes were completed only a short time before Ball died. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.