The talented musician, a key member of the pioneering 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.
Alongside vocalist Marc Almond, the team achieved a global success with their cover of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is regarded as a seminal work of electronic music.
He later founded the pioneering techno group The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.
Ball died calmly in his sleep at his home in London on October 22, just weeks after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.
Recent Health Challenges
During that show, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a spate of health issues.
"I managed to damage myself significantly," he commented in 2023. "I broke lower vertebrae in my back and fractured about five ribs and fractured my wrist."
After catching pneumonia and developing blood poisoning, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in hospital for half a year.
However, he had been in "a great place emotionally" over the warmer months, as he worked on a new album with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for release next year.
"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we actually completed only a short time ago," stated the vocalist in a heartfelt message.
"It's so sad as next year was completely planned to be such an positive time for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he heard the finished record and believed that it was a masterpiece."
Heartfelt Messages
Almond described his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", stating: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.
"Many thanks Dave for being an immense part of my existence and for the music 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".
"Being in a partnership with someone is distinct from being in a band, the connection is incredibly close," he added.
"That was the case with us. We went through so many remarkable, extraordinary, memorable experiences as a team. Many thanks, Dave."
Formative Years
Brought into the world into a single-parent household in Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months old.
He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his first name from his birth name to his adopted name, together with his sibling his sister, who was also adopted.
He met Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both learning fine arts. Inspired by a shared love of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the very year, and quickly recorded an EP.
Musical Partnership
The duo were an distinctive combination: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they attained a rare musical alchemy.
Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk appear on a television program a popular series, and started to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.
Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second most popular song of the early 80s, shifting millions of copies globally. Alongside successful tracks by other artists, Human League and electronic acts, it helped paved the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.
The song was also included on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which produced two additional high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They continued the record up with the separate release, Torch, which peaked at number two in 1982.
Career Highlights
Success had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my initial property, having money and travelling, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball not long ago shared with a publication.
But it also presented challenges. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford newfound drugs to relieve the monotony" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball said.
"I know that's a common saying, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it applies for so many musicians."
During the party-filled existence, the duo were also drifting apart, but they succeeded to produce a follow-up memorable record - the unconventional, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.
They released one more LP, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to concentrate on other projects.
Almond proceeded to have a successful solo career, including the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who mixed dance music with ambient pop over a enduring collaboration.
Reunions and Final Projects
Soft Cell came back together in 2001, producing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.
Following another hiatus, 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, 2018.
However, they remained together, recording their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.
Ball lately described the band's upcoming release as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while recording their initial records.
He noted that his period in hospital had shaped the group's music.
"I experienced unusual memories when I was in and out of hospital because I was on pain medication," he explained to a publication.
"The new songs are a digital reflection of the noises in my mind from those days.
"In parallel, it's about the experiences we got up to in the 80s."
The last versions were completed only days before Ball passed away. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.
