The talented musician, one half of the innovative 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.
Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the duo achieved a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a classic of electronic music.
He subsequently founded the innovative techno group The Grid, who secured chart success with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.
Ball passed away calmly in his rest at his home in London on October 22, just weeks after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in the Thames-side town.
Recent Health Challenges
At that show, Ball appeared in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a period of ill-health.
"I ended up injure myself quite a bit," he commented in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and cracked about five ribs and broke my arm."
Following catching pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and remained in the hospital for half a year.
Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits mentally" over the warmer months, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for release in the coming year.
"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we literally finished only a short time ago," stated the vocalist in a tribute.
"It's so sad as next year was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a masterpiece."
Tributes
Almond referred to his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.
"Thank you Dave for being an immense aspect of my life and for the songs you gave me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."
Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "constant humor" and "steadfast support".
"Forming a duo with someone is different from being in a band, the bond is very tight," he continued.
"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, incredible, memorable experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."
Early Life
Brought into the world into a one-parent family in Chester in the late 50s, Ball was put up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.
He grew up in the seaside town with his new family Donald and Brenda Ball, who changed his first name from his birth name to David, together with his sibling his sister, who was also adopted.
He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in the late 70s, where they were both studying fine arts. Fuelled by a shared love of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and promptly produced an EP.
Creative Collaboration
The duo were an unusual combination: Ball was the reserved musician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all sparkle and makeup; but they attained a unique creative synergy.
Ball had cultivated a fascination with electronic instruments after viewing Kraftwerk perform on a television program a popular series, and started to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was writing.
Their signature song became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling single of 1981, shifting millions of copies worldwide. Together with hits by Gary Numan, Human League and electronic acts, it contributed to cleared the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.
The song was also featured on their full-length debut, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned two further top five singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They continued the album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at number two in 1982.
Professional Journey
Fame had its benefits. "I enjoyed being able to afford my initial property, having financial security and exploring, which might seem like a beauty queen," Ball recently told with a music magazine.
But it also caused problems. "Newfound wealth allowed we could purchase substances to alleviate the monotony" of media interviews and television shows, Ball explained.
"I realize that's a cliché, but it's a cliché for a good reason, because it works for so many musicians."
During the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also growing distant, but they managed to produce a second classic album - 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 dissolving the group to concentrate 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 mixed dance music with melodic sounds over a enduring collaboration.
Reunions and Final Projects
Soft Cell came back together in 2001, producing the Top 40 album Cruelty Without Beauty.
Following another hiatus, they returned in recent years, releasing 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 30 September, that year.
However, they remained together, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.
Ball recently described the band's upcoming release as a tribute 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 experienced strange recollections when I was in and out of hospital because I was on morphine," he explained to a music magazine.
"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the sounds in my head from that time.
"Simultaneously, it's about the experiences me and Marc had in the 80s."
The last versions were completed only days before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for launch in Spring 2026.
