🔗 Share this article

The talented musician, one half of the pioneering 1980s synth-pop band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.

Together with vocalist Marc Almond, the duo scored a worldwide hit with their cover of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love in the mid-80s, and their debut album their initial full-length release is regarded as a classic of electronic music.

He subsequently formed the innovative techno group The Grid, who achieved popular acclaim with 1994's Swamp Thing.

Ball passed away peacefully in his rest at his residence in London on October 22, only a short time after playing a featured performance with Soft Cell at the Rewind music event in Henley-on-Thames.

Recent Health Challenges

During that show, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the previous couple of years, after a period of health issues.

"I ended up damage myself quite a bit," he commented in 2023. "I fractured lower vertebrae in my back and cracked about multiple ribs and broke my arm."

Following contracting pneumonia and developing sepsis, he was placed in an medically-induced sleep and remained in hospital for half a year.

However, he had been in "high spirits mentally" during the warmer months, as he was developing a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is set for release in the coming year.

"He was focused and very pleased with the new album that we actually finished only a short time ago," stated the vocalist 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 felt that it was a great piece of work."

Tributes

Almond referred to his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", adding: "He was the core essence of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.

"Thank you Dave for being an significant aspect of my life and for the music you gave me. I couldn't be where I am without your influence."

Richard Norris from The Grid, also paid tribute, remembering Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".

"Being in a partnership with someone is different from being in a band, the bond is incredibly close," he continued.

"That's how it was with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, extraordinary, life-affirming moments as a team. Many thanks, Dave."

Early Life

Born into a single-parent household in Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was a year and a half old.

He was raised in Blackpool with his new family his caregivers, who altered his given name from Paul to his adopted name, together with his sibling his sister, who was also adopted.

He encountered Almond at an art college in 1977, where they were both studying fine arts. Inspired 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 quiet musician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a flamboyant performer, all glitter and makeup; but they achieved a unique musical alchemy.

Ball had cultivated a interest with electronic instruments after watching the band Kraftwerk perform on a television science show a popular series, and started to combine dark electronica to the soaring melodies Almond was composing.

Tainted Love became the UK's second biggest-selling single of 1981, shifting 21 million copies globally. Together with successful tracks by Gary Numan, contemporary bands and electronic acts, it helped paved the way for the synth-pop sound of the 80s.

The song was also included on their first album, their initial LP, which spawned two further high-charting singles: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.

They continued the record up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at the second position in the following year.

Career Highlights

Success had its upsides. "I enjoyed being able to purchase my first home, having financial security and travelling, which makes me sound like a beauty queen," Ball recently told with a publication.

But it also caused problems. "Sudden riches meant we could afford newfound drugs to alleviate the boredom" of media interviews and television shows, Ball said.

"I know that's a common saying, but it's a truism for a good reason, because it applies for so many musicians."

During the party-filled existence, the pair were also growing distant, but they managed to create a second classic album - the unconventional, edgy and fittingly named The Art Of Falling Apart.

They put out another LP, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the band to focus on other projects.

Almond went on to have a prosperous solo career, featuring the chart-topping single Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball formed The Grid, who mixed acid house with ambient pop over a long-lasting collaboration.

Reunions and Final Projects

Soft Cell reunited in 2001, producing the charting album Cruelty Without Beauty.

After a further break, they reappeared in recent years, releasing the new tracks Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a final performance at the large venue on September 30, that year.

Yet, they remained active, creating their latest project, Happiness Not Included, during the pandemic Covid lockdown.

Ball recently characterized the duo's new album as a homage to the New York club scene they frequented while recording their first two albums.

He noted that his time in medical care had shaped the group's music.

"I had strange recollections when I was in and out of the hospital because I was on morphine," he told a music magazine.

"The new songs are a electronic representation of the sounds in my mind from that time.

"Simultaneously, it's about the experiences we had in the 1980s."

The final mixes were completed only a short time before Ball died. It is due for launch in Spring 2026.