The talented musician, one half of the pioneering 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.
Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the team achieved a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record their initial full-length release is regarded as a seminal work of electronic music.
He subsequently founded the pioneering techno group The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.
Ball passed away peacefully in his rest at his home in London on October 22, only a short time after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.
Health Struggles
At that show, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a spate of health issues.
"I managed to injure myself quite a bit," he stated in 2023. "I broke lower vertebrae in my back and fractured about multiple ribs and broke my wrist."
After catching a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was put in an induced coma and stayed in the hospital for half a year.
Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place emotionally" over the summer, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication in the coming year.
"He was concentrated and very pleased with the new album that we actually completed only a short time ago," stated the singer in a heartfelt message.
"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was completely planned to be such an uplifting year for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he listened to the completed album and felt that it was a great piece of work."
Tributes
Almond referred to his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our body of work.
"Thank you Dave for being an immense aspect of my life and for the music you gave me. I wouldn't be where I am without your influence."
His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "constant humor" and "steadfast support".
"Being in a duo with someone is different from joining a band, the connection is very tight," he added.
"That's how it was with us. We went through so many extraordinary, incredible, memorable experiences as a team. Thank you, Dave."
Early Life
Brought into the world into a one-parent family in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.
He was raised in Blackpool with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his first name from his birth name to David, alongside his sibling his sister, who was similarly welcomed.
He met Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both studying fine arts. Fuelled by a shared love of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and quickly produced an EP.
Musical Partnership
The duo were an distinctive combination: Ball was the reserved technician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all glitter and eye-liner; but they achieved a rare creative synergy.
Ball had developed a interest with synthesizers after viewing Kraftwerk perform on a television science show Tomorrow's World, and started to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.
Their signature song became the UK's second biggest-selling song of the early 80s, selling millions of units globally. Together with successful tracks by Gary Numan, Human League and Ultravox, it helped cleared the way for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.
The track was also featured on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which spawned two further high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They followed the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at the second position in 1982.
Professional Journey
Success had its upsides. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having financial security and travelling, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a publication.
But it also caused challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford substances to relieve the boredom" of press appearances and television shows, Ball explained.
"I realize that's a common saying, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it works for so many bands."
During the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also growing distant, but they succeeded to create a second classic album - the wayward, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.
They released one more 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 top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed acid house with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.
Later Work and Comebacks
Soft Cell reunited in 2001, producing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.
Following a further break, they reappeared in 2018, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was intended to be a final performance at the large venue on September 30, that year.
Yet, they stayed together, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.
Ball lately described the band's upcoming release as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they frequented while making their initial records.
He added that his time in medical care had influenced the group's music.
"I had strange recollections when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on morphine," he told a music magazine.
"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the sounds in my head from that time.
"In parallel, it's about the experiences we got up to in the 80s."
The last versions were finished only a short time before Ball passed away. It is due for launch in Spring 2026.
