The talented musician, a key member of the innovative 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.
Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the duo achieved a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their first record their initial full-length release is considered a classic of synth-pop.
He subsequently formed the innovative electronic act The Grid, who secured chart success with 1994's the hit Swamp Thing.
Ball passed away peacefully in his sleep at his residence 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.
Health Struggles
During that show, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a period of ill-health.
"I managed to injure myself significantly," he stated in 2023. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about multiple ribs and fractured my wrist."
After contracting a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and remained in hospital for seven months.
However, he had been in "a great place mentally" during the warmer months, as he worked on a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is set for release next year.
"He was concentrated and so happy with the latest project that we actually completed only a few days ago," stated the singer in a heartfelt message.
"It's so sad as next year was all set to be such an positive time for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he listened to the finished record and believed that it was a masterpiece."
Heartfelt Messages
Almond referred to his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented musical genius", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our body of work.
"Thank you Dave for being an immense part of my life and for the music you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."
His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "constant humor" and "unwavering friendship".
"Forming a duo with someone is distinct from being in a band, the connection is very tight," he continued.
"That's how it was with us. We went through so many remarkable, extraordinary, life-affirming experiences together. Many thanks, Dave."
Formative Years
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 Blackpool with adoptive parents his caregivers, who changed his given name from Paul to David, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was similarly welcomed.
He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both learning art. Inspired by a shared love of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and quickly recorded an EP.
Creative Collaboration
The duo were an unusual pairing: Ball was the reserved musician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic performer, all glitter and makeup; but they achieved a rare musical alchemy.
Ball had cultivated a interest with synthesizers after viewing the band Kraftwerk perform on BBC program Tomorrow's World, and started to combine moody electronic sounds to the catchy tunes Almond was composing.
Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling single of 1981, shifting millions of units worldwide. Alongside successful tracks by other artists, Human League and Ultravox, it contributed to cleared the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.
The track was also featured on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which produced two additional high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at the second position in the following year.
Career Highlights
Fame had its benefits. "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 music magazine.
But it also presented challenges. "Newfound wealth allowed we could purchase substances to relieve the boredom" of press appearances and television shows, Ball explained.
"I know that's a common saying, but it's a cliché for a valid cause, because it applies for so many musicians."
During the party-filled existence, the duo were also drifting apart, but they managed to create a follow-up memorable record - the unconventional, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.
They released another album, their 1984 release This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to concentrate on individual endeavors.
Almond went on to have a successful individual path, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who combined acid house with melodic sounds over a long-lasting partnership.
Reunions and Final Projects
Soft Cell came back together in the early 2000s, releasing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.
After a further break, they returned in 2018, issuing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was supposed to be a farewell show at the O2 Arena on September 30, that year.
However, they remained active, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.
Ball recently described the duo's upcoming release as a homage to the NYC nightlife they frequented while recording their first two albums.
He noted that his period in medical care had influenced the band's sound.
"I had strange recollections when I was coming and going of hospital because I was on pain medication," he told a publication.
"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the sounds in my head from that time.
"Simultaneously, it's about the times me and Marc had in the 1980s."
The last versions were finished only days before Ball died. It is due for launch in the spring of 2026.
