The talented musician, a key member of the pioneering 1980s synth-pop duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.
Together with singer Marc Almond, the team achieved a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a seminal work of synth-pop.
He subsequently founded the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.
Ball died calmly in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, only a short time after performing 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 last two years, after a period of ill-health.
"I managed to injure myself significantly," he stated in 2023. "I broke lower vertebrae in my spine and fractured about five ribs and fractured my arm."
After catching pneumonia and developing sepsis, he was put in an induced coma and remained in hospital for seven months.
However, he had been in "a great place emotionally" over the warmer months, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is set for publication in the coming year.
"He was concentrated and so happy with the latest project that we literally finished only a few days ago," said the vocalist in a heartfelt message.
"It's so sad as next year was all set to be such an positive time for him, and I find comfort from the knowledge that he heard the completed album and believed that it was a great piece of work."
Tributes
Almond described his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.
"Thank you Dave for being an immense part of my existence and for the music you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without you."
His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "unwavering friendship".
"Being in a duo with someone is different from being in a group, the connection is incredibly close," he added.
"That was the case with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, extraordinary, memorable experiences as a team. Thank you, Dave."
Early Life
Brought into the world into a one-parent family in the city of 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 given name from his birth name to David, together with his sibling Susan, who was similarly welcomed.
He met Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a shared love of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the very year, and quickly recorded an EP.
Creative Collaboration
The duo were an distinctive combination: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a unique creative synergy.
Ball had cultivated a fascination with electronic instruments after watching the band Kraftwerk appear on a television science show Tomorrow's World, and began to combine moody electronic sounds to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.
Their signature song became the UK's second most popular single of the early 80s, shifting millions of units worldwide. Together with successful tracks by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it contributed to paved the path for the electronic music style of the 80s.
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 followed the album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which peaked 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 beauty queen," Ball recently told with a music magazine.
But it also presented challenges. "Sudden riches meant we could afford newfound drugs 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 applies for so many musicians."
Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also drifting apart, but they managed to produce a follow-up classic album - the unconventional, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.
They put out another album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to concentrate on other projects.
Almond proceeded to have a successful solo career, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined acid house with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.
Later Work and Comebacks
Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, releasing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.
After another break, they reappeared in recent years, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before staging what was intended to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on September 30, that year.
However, they stayed active, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.
Ball lately characterized the duo's upcoming release as a tribute to the NYC nightlife they visited while recording their initial records.
He added that his time in medical care had shaped the group's music.
"I had unusual memories when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a publication.
"The new songs 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 1980s."
The final mixes were completed only a short time before Ball died. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.
