The talented musician, one half of the innovative 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.
Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the duo achieved a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album their initial full-length release is regarded as a seminal work of electronic music.
He later founded the innovative electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with 1994's Swamp Thing.
Ball passed away calmly in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, only a short time after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.
Health Struggles
During that show, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a spate of health issues.
"I ended up damage myself quite a bit," he stated in a recent interview. "I broke lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about multiple ribs and broke my wrist."
After contracting a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was placed in an induced coma and stayed in the hospital for half a year.
Nevertheless, he had been in "a great place emotionally" over the warmer months, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, called Danceteria, which is set 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 vocalist in a tribute.
"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was completely planned to be such an positive year for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he listened to the completed album and believed that it was a great piece of work."
Tributes
Almond described his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", stating: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.
"Thank you Dave for being an immense part of my existence and for the music you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."
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 being in a group, the connection is incredibly close," he added.
"That's how it was with us. We went through so many remarkable, extraordinary, life-affirming moments as a team. Thank you, 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 a year and a half old.
He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his given name from Paul to David, alongside 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 a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and promptly recorded an EP.
Musical Partnership
The pair were an unusual combination: Ball was the quiet technician, hunched over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.
Ball had cultivated a fascination with synthesizers after viewing the band Kraftwerk appear on a television science show a popular series, and began to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.
Their signature song became the UK's second most popular song of the early 80s, shifting millions of units globally. Together with hits by Gary Numan, Human League and electronic acts, it contributed to paved the path for the electronic music style of the 80s.
The song was also featured on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which produced two further top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They followed the album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at the second position in 1982.
Career Highlights
Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my first home, having financial security and exploring, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball not long ago shared with a publication.
But it also presented problems. "Newfound wealth meant we could purchase substances to alleviate the boredom" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball said.
"I realize that's a cliché, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it works for so many bands."
During the party-filled existence, the pair were also growing distant, but they managed to create a follow-up memorable record - the unconventional, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.
They put out one more LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to concentrate on other projects.
Almond went on to have a successful solo career, including the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed dance music with melodic sounds over a long-lasting collaboration.
Later Work and Comebacks
Soft Cell came back together in the early 2000s, releasing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.
After a further break, they reappeared in 2018, issuing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was supposed to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.
Yet, they remained active, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 restrictions.
Ball recently described the band's new album as a tribute to the New York club scene they frequented while making their first two albums.
He added that his period in hospital had influenced the band's sound.
"I experienced unusual memories when I was in and out of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a publication.
"Our latest tracks are a electronic representation of the noises in my mind from that time.
"In parallel, it's about the experiences we got up to in the 1980s."
The last versions were completed only days before Ball died. It is scheduled for launch in Spring 2026.
