The talented musician, a key member of the innovative 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.
Together with singer Marc Almond, the duo scored a worldwide hit with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret is considered a seminal work of electronic music.
He subsequently formed the innovative techno group The Grid, who secured chart success with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.
Ball died calmly in his rest at his home in London on October 22, only a short time after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.
Health Struggles
At that show, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a period of health issues.
"I managed to injure myself significantly," he stated in a recent interview. "I fractured spinal bones in my back and fractured about multiple ribs and fractured my arm."
Following catching pneumonia and suffering from blood poisoning, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in hospital for half a year.
However, he had been in "high spirits mentally" during the summer, as he was developing a new album with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for release next year.
"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we literally finished only a few days ago," stated the vocalist in a tribute.
"It's so sad as 2026 was completely planned to be such an uplifting time for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he heard the completed album and believed that it was a masterpiece."
Tributes
Almond described his bandmate as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.
"Thank you Dave for being an immense part of my life and for the music you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without your influence."
Richard Norris from The Grid, shared his condolences, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".
"Forming a partnership with someone is different from being in a group, the bond is incredibly close," he added.
"That was the case with us. We experienced so many remarkable, incredible, memorable experiences as a team. Thank you, Dave."
Formative Years
Born into a single-parent household in Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was 18 months old.
He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents Donald and Brenda Ball, who altered his first name from Paul to David, alongside his younger sister his sister, who was also adopted.
He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired by a shared love of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and promptly produced an extended play.
Musical Partnership
The pair were an unusual combination: Ball was the quiet technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and eye-liner; but they achieved a unique musical alchemy.
Ball had developed a fascination with synthesizers after viewing the band Kraftwerk appear on a television science show Tomorrow's World, and began to marry dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.
Tainted Love became the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling song of 1981, selling 21 million units worldwide. Together with successful tracks by other artists, contemporary bands and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the path for the electronic music style of the 1980s.
The song was also featured on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which spawned two additional high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They followed the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at number two in 1982.
Professional Journey
Success had its upsides. "I loved being able to purchase my first home, having financial security and travelling, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball recently shared with a publication.
But it also caused problems. "Sudden riches allowed we could afford substances to alleviate the monotony" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.
"I know that's a common saying, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it works for so many musicians."
During the party-filled existence, the duo were also growing distant, but they succeeded to produce a second classic album - the wayward, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.
They put out another LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to concentrate on other projects.
Almond proceeded to have a successful solo career, featuring the chart-topping single 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 came back together in 2001, producing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.
Following another break, they returned in recent years, issuing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a final performance at the large venue on 30 September, 2018.
However, they remained active, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.
Ball lately characterized the duo's new album as a tribute to the New York club scene they visited while making their initial records.
He noted 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 told a music magazine.
"The new songs are a electronic representation of the sounds in my mind from those days.
"In parallel, it's about the experiences me and Marc had in the 1980s."
The final mixes were completed only days before Ball died. It is due for release in Spring 2026.
