🔗 Share this article

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

Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the team achieved a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a seminal work of synth-pop.

He later founded the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his rest at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after performing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

During that show, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a spate of ill-health.

"I ended up damage myself quite a bit," he stated in 2023. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my back and fractured about five ribs and broke my arm."

Following contracting pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in the hospital for seven months.

However, he had been in "a great place mentally" during the warmer months, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.

"He was concentrated and so happy with the latest project that we actually completed only a short time ago," stated the singer in a tribute.

"It's truly heartbreaking as 2026 was all set to be such an positive year for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he listened to the completed album and believed that it was a masterpiece."

Heartfelt Messages

Almond described his bandmate as "a wonderfully brilliant musical genius", 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 existence and for the songs you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without you."

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

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

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

Formative Years

Brought into the world into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half of age.

He grew up in the seaside town with his new family his caregivers, who changed his given name from Paul to David, together with his younger sister Susan, who was similarly welcomed.

He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly recorded an EP.

Creative Collaboration

The duo were an unusual pairing: Ball was the reserved technician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they achieved a unique creative synergy.

Ball had developed a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on a television science show a popular series, and started to combine 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 21 million copies worldwide. Together with hits by other artists, Human League and electronic acts, it contributed to paved the path for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.

The song was also included on their first album, their initial LP, which produced 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 1982.

Career Highlights

Success had its upsides. "I loved being able to purchase my first home, having money and travelling, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball recently told with a publication.

But it also caused challenges. "Sudden riches meant we could purchase substances to alleviate the monotony" of media interviews and TV performances, Ball said.

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

Amidst the party-filled existence, the duo were also drifting apart, but they managed to create a second memorable record - the wayward, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.

They released one more LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to focus on other projects.

Almond went on to have a prosperous 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 melodic sounds over a long-lasting partnership.

Later Work and Comebacks

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

Following another hiatus, they reappeared in recent years, issuing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on September 30, 2018.

Yet, they remained active, recording their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.

Ball recently characterized the band's upcoming release as a homage to the NYC nightlife they frequented while making their initial records.

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

"I had strange recollections when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a publication.

"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the sounds in my mind from that time.

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

The last versions were finished only days before Ball passed away. It is due for release in Spring 2026.