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

Alongside singer Marc Almond, the team achieved a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album their initial full-length release is regarded as a classic of electronic music.

He later founded the innovative techno group The Grid, who achieved chart success with 1994's 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 headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.

Health Struggles

At 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 damage myself significantly," he commented in a recent interview. "I broke lower vertebrae in my spine and cracked about five ribs and broke my arm."

After catching pneumonia and developing sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" during the summer, as he was developing a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for publication in the coming year.

"He was concentrated and very pleased with the latest project that we actually finished 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 take some solace from the fact that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond described his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.

"Thank you Dave for being an significant aspect of my life and for the music you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without your influence."

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

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

"That's how it was with us. We went through so many extraordinary, incredible, life-affirming experiences as a team. Thank you, Dave."

Formative Years

Born into a one-parent family in 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 his caregivers, who altered his first name from Paul to his adopted name, together with his sibling Susan, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a shared love of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly produced an EP.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an distinctive combination: Ball was the quiet technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all sparkle and makeup; but they achieved a rare creative synergy.

Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on BBC science show a popular series, and began to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Their signature song became the UK's second biggest-selling single of the early 80s, shifting 21 million units globally. Together with hits by Gary Numan, Human League and electronic acts, it contributed to cleared the way for the electronic music style of the 80s.

The track 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 record up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at number two in the following year.

Professional Journey

Fame had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my initial property, having financial security and exploring, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball recently shared with a publication.

But it also caused challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford substances to alleviate the boredom" 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 works for so many bands."

Amidst the party-filled existence, the duo were also growing distant, but they succeeded to produce a follow-up classic album - the wayward, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out one more LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to focus on other projects.

Almond went on to have a successful solo career, featuring the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined dance music with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

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

After a further break, they returned in 2018, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a farewell show at the large venue on 30 September, 2018.

Yet, they stayed together, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.

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

He noted that his period in medical care had shaped the band's sound.

"I experienced unusual memories when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on morphine," he told a publication.

"Our latest tracks are a electronic representation of the sounds in my mind from those days.

"Simultaneously, it's about the experiences we got up to in the 1980s."

The last versions were completed only a short time before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for release in the spring of 2026.