The talented musician, a key member of the innovative 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.
Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the duo scored a global success 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 later formed the pioneering electronic act The Grid, who secured popular acclaim with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.
Ball passed away peacefully in his sleep at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in the Thames-side town.
Health Struggles
At that show, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the last two years, after a period of ill-health.
"I managed to damage myself quite a bit," he commented in 2023. "I fractured spinal bones in my spine and cracked about multiple ribs and broke my wrist."
Following catching pneumonia and developing sepsis, he was put in an induced coma and remained in the hospital for seven months.
Nevertheless, he had been in "high spirits mentally" during the warmer months, as he was developing a fresh record with Almond, titled the upcoming Danceteria, which is scheduled for release in the coming year.
"He was concentrated and very pleased with the new album that we actually finished only a few days ago," said the vocalist in a tribute.
"It's so sad as next year was all set to be such an positive time for him, and I find comfort from the fact that he listened to the completed album and believed that it was a great piece of work."
Tributes
Almond referred to his collaborator as "a wonderfully brilliant creative mastermind", stating: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm extremely pleased of our legacy.
"Many thanks Dave for being an immense aspect of my existence and for the music you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."
Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".
"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 went through so many remarkable, extraordinary, memorable experiences as a team. Thank you, Dave."
Formative Years
Brought into the world into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in the late 50s, Ball was put up for adoption when he was 18 months of age.
He grew up in Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who altered his given name from Paul to David, together with his sibling his sister, who was also adopted.
He met Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both learning art. Fuelled by a mutual passion of Northern Soul, they established Soft Cell the same year, and promptly produced an EP.
Creative Collaboration
The pair were an unusual combination: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all sparkle and eye-liner; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.
Ball had developed a interest with synthesizers after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on a television science show Tomorrow's World, and began to combine moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.
Tainted Love became the UK's second most popular song of 1981, selling 21 million copies globally. Together with hits by other artists, Human League and Ultravox, it helped cleared the way for the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.
The song was also featured on their full-length debut, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which produced two further top five singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They continued the record up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at the second position in the following year.
Career Highlights
Fame had its upsides. "I loved being able to afford my initial property, having money and exploring, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball recently told with a publication.
But it also caused challenges. "Newfound wealth meant we could purchase substances to relieve the monotony" of press appearances and television shows, Ball explained.
"I know that's a common saying, but it's a truism for a valid cause, because it applies for so many bands."
Amidst the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also growing distant, but they succeeded to create a second classic album - the wayward, edgy and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.
They released another album, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before dissolving the group to focus on individual endeavors.
Almond went on to have a successful individual path, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined acid house with melodic sounds over a long-lasting partnership.
Reunions and Final Projects
Soft Cell reunited in the early 2000s, producing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.
After a further hiatus, they reappeared in 2018, releasing the new tracks 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 active, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic restrictions.
Ball recently described the duo's upcoming release as a homage to the New York club scene they frequented 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 morphine," he told a publication.
"The new songs are a electronic representation of the noises in my mind from that time.
"In parallel, it's about the times me and Marc had in the 80s."
The final mixes were finished only days before Ball died. It is scheduled for release in Spring 2026.
