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

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the pair achieved a global success 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 subsequently founded the innovative electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away 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 Festival in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

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

"I managed to injure myself quite a bit," he commented in a recent interview. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my back and fractured about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."

After catching pneumonia 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 mentally" during the summer, as he was developing a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is set for release next year.

"He was focused and so happy with the new album that we literally completed only a few days ago," said the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's so sad as 2026 was completely planned to be such an uplifting time for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the completed album and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond referred to his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", stating: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our body of work.

"Thank you Dave for being an significant part of my life 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 "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".

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

"That was the case with us. We went through so many remarkable, extraordinary, memorable moments together. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

Brought into the world into a one-parent family in Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half of age.

He was raised in Blackpool with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his given name from his birth name to his adopted name, together with his sibling Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both learning art. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and promptly produced an EP.

Creative Collaboration

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

Ball had cultivated a interest with electronic instruments after watching the band Kraftwerk perform on BBC program Tomorrow's World, and began to marry moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the UK's second most popular single of the early 80s, shifting millions of copies worldwide. Together with hits by Gary Numan, Human League and Ultravox, it contributed to paved the way for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The song was also featured on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which spawned two additional top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the album up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in 1982.

Professional Journey

Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having money and exploring, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball recently told with a music magazine.

But it also presented problems. "Sudden riches meant we could purchase newfound drugs to alleviate the boredom" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball explained.

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

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also growing distant, but they succeeded to produce a second classic album - the wayward, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving 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 long-lasting collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

Soft Cell came back together in the early 2000s, producing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.

After a further break, they reappeared in 2018, issuing 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 September 30, that year.

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

Ball recently characterized the band's upcoming release as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they visited while making their first two albums.

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

"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 noises in my head from that time.

"In parallel, it's about the experiences we had in the 80s."

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