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

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the duo scored a worldwide hit with their cover 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 subsequently founded the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his rest at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

During that show, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the last two years, after a spate of ill-health.

"I ended up damage myself quite a bit," he commented in a recent interview. "I broke spinal bones in my back and fractured about five ribs and broke my wrist."

After contracting a lung infection and developing sepsis, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and remained in hospital for half a year.

Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place emotionally" over the warmer months, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, called Danceteria, which is set for publication in the coming year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we actually completed only a few days ago," said the singer 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 heard the finished record and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond referred to his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.

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

His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".

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

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, life-affirming experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."

Formative Years

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

He grew up in the seaside town with his new family his caregivers, who changed his given name from Paul to David, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both studying art. Fuelled by a shared love of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and promptly recorded an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an distinctive combination: Ball was the quiet technician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all glitter and makeup; but they attained a rare creative synergy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with synthesizers after viewing Kraftwerk perform on a television science show Tomorrow's World, and began to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling single of the early 80s, shifting 21 million copies worldwide. Together with hits by other artists, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it contributed to paved the path for the electronic music style of the 80s.

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

They continued the album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at the second position in the following year.

Professional Journey

Fame had its upsides. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having money and travelling, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball not long ago told with a music magazine.

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

"I realize that's a cliché, but it's a cliché for a good reason, because it applies for so many bands."

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also drifting apart, but they managed to produce a second classic album - the wayward, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to concentrate on other projects.

Almond went on to have a successful individual path, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed dance music with ambient pop over a enduring partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, producing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.

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

Yet, they remained active, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball lately described the duo's new album as a tribute to the New York club scene they frequented while making their first two albums.

He added that his period in hospital had influenced the group's music.

"I had strange recollections when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a music magazine.

"The new songs are a electronic representation of the noises in my head from those days.

"In parallel, it's about the experiences we had in the 1980s."

The last versions were completed only days before Ball died. It is scheduled for launch in Spring 2026.