The talented musician, a key member of the pioneering 1980s synth-pop duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.
Alongside singer Marc Almond, the pair achieved 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 classic of electronic music.
He later formed the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.
Ball died calmly in his rest at his residence in London on October 22, just weeks after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.
Recent Health Challenges
At that performance, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a spate of health issues.
"I managed to damage myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my back and fractured about five ribs and fractured my wrist."
Following contracting pneumonia and developing blood poisoning, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and remained in hospital for seven months.
However, he had been in "a great place emotionally" over the warmer months, as he was developing a new album with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for publication next year.
"He was concentrated and very pleased with the new album that we literally finished only a few days ago," said the singer in a tribute.
"It's so sad as 2026 was completely planned to be such an uplifting time for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he heard the completed album and felt that it was a masterpiece."
Tributes
Almond referred to his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.
"Many thanks Dave for being an significant aspect of my existence and for the music you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without your influence."
Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".
"Being in a partnership with someone is distinct from being in a group, the connection is incredibly close," he added.
"That was the case with us. We went through so many extraordinary, extraordinary, memorable experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."
Formative Years
Brought into the world into a one-parent family in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months of age.
He grew up in the seaside town with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his given name from his birth name to his adopted name, together with his younger sister Susan, who was similarly welcomed.
He met Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both learning art. Fuelled by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and promptly recorded an extended play.
Creative Collaboration
The pair were an unusual pairing: Ball was the reserved technician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all glitter and makeup; but they attained a rare musical alchemy.
Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after viewing the band Kraftwerk appear on a television science show a popular series, and began to marry moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.
Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling single of 1981, shifting millions of copies worldwide. Alongside hits by other artists, Human League and electronic acts, it contributed to paved the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.
The song was also included on their first album, their initial LP, which spawned two additional high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They continued the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at the second position in the following year.
Professional Journey
Fame had its upsides. "I enjoyed 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 presented challenges. "Newfound wealth meant we could afford substances to alleviate the monotony" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball said.
"I know that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a good reason, because it applies for so many bands."
Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also growing distant, but they succeeded to create a second memorable record - the unconventional, tense and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.
They put out one more album, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to concentrate on other projects.
Almond proceeded to have a prosperous individual path, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined acid house with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.
Later Work and Comebacks
Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, producing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.
After another hiatus, they returned in recent years, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a final performance at the large venue on September 30, 2018.
However, they stayed together, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.
Ball recently described the duo's upcoming release as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while making their initial records.
He noted that his period in hospital had influenced the band's sound.
"I had strange recollections when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on morphine," he explained to a music magazine.
"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the noises in my mind from those days.
"Simultaneously, it's about the experiences me and Marc got up to in the 80s."
The final mixes were completed only days before Ball died. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.
