The talented musician, one half of the groundbreaking 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has passed away at the age of 66.
Together with singer Marc Almond, the team scored a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album their initial full-length release is considered a classic of synth-pop.
He subsequently formed the innovative electronic act The Grid, who achieved chart success with their 1994 single the hit Swamp Thing.
Ball died calmly in his sleep at his home in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after performing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.
Recent Health Challenges
At that show, Ball performed in a mobility chair, as he had for the previous couple of years, following a spate of ill-health.
"I ended up injure myself significantly," he stated in 2023. "I broke spinal bones in my back and cracked about five ribs and broke my arm."
After catching pneumonia and suffering from sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and stayed in the hospital for seven months.
However, he had been in "high spirits mentally" during the warmer months, as he worked on a fresh record with Almond, called the upcoming Danceteria, which is set for release next year.
"He was concentrated and so happy with the new album that we actually completed only a few days ago," said the singer in a tribute.
"It's truly heartbreaking as next year was all set to be such an positive year for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he listened to the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work."
Heartfelt Messages
Almond referred to his bandmate 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.
"Thank you Dave for being an significant part of my life and for the music you created with me. I wouldn't be where I am without you."
His Grid bandmate from The Grid, shared his condolences, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".
"Forming a duo with someone is distinct from joining a band, the connection is incredibly close," he added.
"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many remarkable, extraordinary, memorable moments as a team. Many thanks, Dave."
Formative Years
Brought into the world into a single-parent household in the city of Chester in 1959, Ball was put up for adoption when he was 18 months of age.
He was raised in Blackpool with his new family his caregivers, who altered his first name from Paul to David, alongside his younger sister Susan, who was also adopted.
He met Almond at an art college in the late 70s, where they were both studying fine arts. Fuelled by a mutual passion of a music genre, they established Soft Cell the same year, and promptly recorded an EP.
Creative Collaboration
The duo were an unusual combination: Ball was the reserved technician, bent over his keyboard, while Almond was a flamboyant showman, all sparkle and makeup; but they achieved a rare musical alchemy.
Ball had cultivated a interest with synthesizers after watching Kraftwerk appear on BBC science show 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 song of the early 80s, shifting 21 million copies globally. Together with hits by Gary Numan, Human League and electronic acts, it contributed to paved the way for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.
The song was also included on their first album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, which spawned two further top five hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They followed the record up with the separate release, Torch, which reached at number two in 1982.
Professional Journey
Success had its benefits. "I loved being able to afford my first home, having financial security and travelling, which might seem like a Miss World," Ball recently told with a music magazine.
But it also presented problems. "Sudden riches allowed we could purchase newfound drugs to relieve the monotony" of press appearances and television shows, Ball said.
"I know that's a common saying, but it's a cliché for a good reason, because it works for so many musicians."
During the hedonistic lifestyle, the pair were also growing distant, but they succeeded to produce a follow-up memorable record - the wayward, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.
They put out one more LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending 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 formed The Grid, who mixed dance music with melodic sounds over a enduring collaboration.
Later Work and Comebacks
Soft Cell came back together in the early 2000s, producing the charting record Cruelty Without Beauty.
After another hiatus, they returned in recent years, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a farewell show at the large venue on 30 September, that year.
However, they stayed together, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.
Ball lately described the duo's upcoming release as a tribute to the New York club scene they frequented while recording their first two albums.
He added that his period in medical care had shaped the band's sound.
"I experienced strange recollections when I was in and out of the hospital because I was on morphine," he told a music magazine.
"Our latest tracks are a electronic representation of the sounds in my head from that time.
"In parallel, it's about the times me and Marc got up to in the 80s."
The last versions were completed only a short time before Ball died. It is scheduled for release in the spring of 2026.
