🔗 Share this article

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

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the duo scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a seminal work of electronic music.

He later formed the pioneering techno group The Grid, who achieved chart success with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

Ball died peacefully in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, only a short time after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

During that show, Ball appeared in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a period of ill-health.

"I managed to injure myself quite a bit," he stated in 2023. "I broke lower vertebrae in my spine and cracked about multiple ribs and broke my wrist."

Following contracting pneumonia and developing blood poisoning, he was placed 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 publication in the coming year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we literally finished only a short time ago," said the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was completely planned to be such an uplifting year for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he listened to the completed album and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond described his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.

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

Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".

"Forming a duo with someone is distinct from joining a group, the connection is very tight," he added.

"That's how it was with us. We went through so many remarkable, extraordinary, memorable experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

Brought into the world into a one-parent family in the city of Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months of age.

He was raised in the seaside town with his new family his caregivers, who altered his given name from Paul to David, together with his sibling Susan, who was also adopted.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both learning art. Inspired by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the same year, and promptly produced an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual combination: Ball was the quiet technician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had developed a interest with electronic instruments after watching Kraftwerk appear on BBC science show Tomorrow's World, and began to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling song of the early 80s, selling 21 million units globally. Alongside successful tracks by other artists, Human League and electronic acts, it helped paved the path for the electronic music style of the 80s.

The song was also included on their full-length debut, 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

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

But it also caused problems. "Newfound wealth meant we could purchase substances to relieve 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 applies for so many bands."

During the party-filled existence, the duo were also drifting apart, but they managed to create a follow-up classic album - the wayward, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more album, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to concentrate on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a prosperous individual path, including 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 collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell came back together in 2001, producing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.

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

Yet, they stayed active, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.

Ball recently described the band's upcoming release as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while making their initial records.

He added that his time in medical care had influenced 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 digital reflection of the sounds in my mind from those days.

"In parallel, it's about the times we got up to in the 80s."

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