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The talented musician, one half of the groundbreaking 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the team achieved a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a classic of synth-pop.

He subsequently formed the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with 1994's Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away calmly in his rest at his residence in London on October 22, only a short time after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.

Recent Health Challenges

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

"I ended up injure myself significantly," he stated in a recent interview. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my spine and fractured about multiple ribs and broke my arm."

After contracting a lung infection and developing sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "a great place emotionally" over the warmer months, as he worked on a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication next year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the latest project that we literally completed only a short time ago," said the singer in a heartfelt message.

"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was all set 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 collaborator as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", adding: "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 significant part of my existence and for the songs you created with me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."

Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".

"Forming a duo with someone is different from joining a group, the bond is incredibly close," he continued.

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

Early Life

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

He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his given name from his birth name to David, alongside his younger sister his sister, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both learning art. Fuelled by a mutual passion of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and promptly produced an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an distinctive combination: Ball was the reserved musician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all sparkle and makeup; but they achieved a rare musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with electronic instruments after watching the band Kraftwerk perform on a television program Tomorrow's World, and began to marry dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.

Their signature song became the UK's second biggest-selling single of the early 80s, selling 21 million units worldwide. Together with successful tracks by other artists, Human League and electronic acts, it contributed to cleared the way for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

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

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

Professional Journey

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

But it also caused problems. "Newfound wealth meant we could afford newfound drugs to relieve the monotony" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball explained.

"I realize that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a good reason, because it works for so many musicians."

During the party-filled existence, the pair were also growing distant, but they succeeded to produce a second classic album - the unconventional, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released another album, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to concentrate on other projects.

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 acid house with melodic sounds over a enduring collaboration.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

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

Yet, they remained together, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.

Ball recently characterized the duo's new album as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while making their initial records.

He noted that his period in medical care had influenced the group's music.

"I had strange recollections when I was in and out of the hospital because I was on morphine," he told a music magazine.

"The new songs are a digital reflection of the sounds in my head from those days.

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

The final mixes were finished only a short time before Ball passed away. It is due for release in the spring of 2026.