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The talented musician, a key member of the innovative 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the duo scored a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a classic of synth-pop.

He subsequently formed the innovative techno group The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.

Ball died peacefully in his sleep at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, just weeks after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in the Thames-side town.

Health Struggles

During that show, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a spate of health issues.

"I managed to damage myself significantly," he commented in a recent interview. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my spine and cracked about multiple ribs and broke my arm."

Following catching a lung infection and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in the hospital for half a year.

Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" during the warmer months, as he was developing a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we actually completed only a short time ago," said the vocalist in a tribute.

"It's so sad as 2026 was completely planned to be such an positive time for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he heard the finished record and believed that it was a great piece of work."

Heartfelt Messages

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

"Many thanks Dave for being an immense part of my existence and for the songs 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 "steadfast support".

"Being in a partnership with someone is different from being in a group, the connection is very tight," he added.

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

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in the late 50s, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.

He was raised in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his first name from Paul to David, alongside his sibling his sister, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both learning art. Inspired by a shared love of Northern Soul, they formed Soft Cell the very year, and promptly recorded an extended play.

Creative Collaboration

The pair were an unusual combination: Ball was the reserved musician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all glitter and makeup; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after watching Kraftwerk perform on BBC program Tomorrow's World, and began to combine moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second most popular song of the early 80s, shifting millions of units globally. Together with successful tracks by other artists, Human League and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the way for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

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

They continued the record up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in the following year.

Professional Journey

Fame had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my initial property, having money and travelling, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball recently shared with a music magazine.

But it also presented challenges. "Newfound wealth allowed we could purchase substances to relieve the boredom" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball said.

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

Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to create a follow-up memorable record - the wayward, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another album, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the band to focus on individual endeavors.

Almond went on to have a successful individual path, including 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 long-lasting partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

Following another break, they reappeared in recent years, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was supposed to be a final performance at the O2 Arena on September 30, that year.

However, they stayed together, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball recently characterized the band's upcoming release as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while recording their first two albums.

He noted that his time in medical care had shaped the group's music.

"I had strange recollections when I was in and out of hospital because I was on morphine," he explained to a publication.

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

"In parallel, it's about the times me and Marc got up to in the 1980s."

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