The talented musician, a key member of the innovative 1980s electronic music band Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66.
Alongside singer Marc Almond, the team achieved a global success with their version of Gloria Jones' the classic track Tainted Love in 1984, and their debut album their initial full-length release is regarded as a classic of synth-pop.
He subsequently formed the innovative electronic act The Grid, who secured chart success with their 1994 single Swamp Thing.
Ball died calmly in his sleep at his residence in London on Wednesday 22 October, only a short time after playing a headline show with Soft Cell at the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames.
Recent Health Challenges
During that performance, Ball performed in a wheelchair, as he had for the last two years, after a spate of health issues.
"I managed to damage myself significantly," he commented in a recent interview. "I broke lower vertebrae in my spine and fractured about five ribs and fractured my wrist."
Following catching a lung infection and suffering from blood poisoning, he was put in an medically-induced sleep and remained in hospital for half a year.
However, he had been in "high spirits emotionally" over the warmer months, as he worked on a new album with Almond, titled Danceteria, which is scheduled for release in the coming year.
"He was concentrated and very pleased with the latest project that we actually finished only a few days ago," said the singer in a tribute.
"It's so sad as next year was all set to be such an uplifting time for him, and I take some solace from the knowledge that he heard the finished record and believed that it was a great piece of work."
Tributes
Almond referred to his collaborator as "an exceptionally talented creative mastermind", stating: "He was the heart and soul of Soft Cell and I'm very proud of our legacy.
"Many thanks Dave for being an immense part of my existence and for the songs you created with me. I couldn't be where I am without you."
His Grid bandmate from The Grid, also paid tribute, recalling Ball's "endless laughter" and "steadfast support".
"Being in a duo with someone is distinct from being in a group, the bond is incredibly close," he continued.
"That was the case with us. We experienced so many extraordinary, extraordinary, memorable moments 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 a year and a half of age.
He was raised in the seaside town with adoptive parents his caregivers, who changed his first name from his birth name to his adopted name, alongside his younger sister his sister, who was also adopted.
He encountered Almond at Leeds Polytechnic in 1977, where they were both studying art. Inspired by a shared love of a music genre, they formed Soft Cell the same year, and quickly recorded an extended play.
Creative Collaboration
The pair were an distinctive pairing: Ball was the quiet technician, hunched over his synthesizer, while Almond was a charismatic showman, all glitter and eye-liner; but they attained a unique musical alchemy.
Ball had cultivated a interest with synthesizers after viewing Kraftwerk appear on BBC science show a popular series, and started to combine dark electronica to the catchy tunes Almond was writing.
Their signature song became the UK's second biggest-selling single of the early 80s, shifting millions of units worldwide. Together with successful tracks by Gary Numan, Human League and Ultravox, it contributed to paved the way for the electronic music style of the 1980s.
The song was also included on their full-length debut, their initial LP, which spawned two further high-charting hits: Bedsitter and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.
They continued the album up with the stand-alone single, Torch, which reached at number two in the following year.
Professional Journey
Fame had its benefits. "I loved being able to purchase my initial property, having money and exploring, which makes me sound like a Miss World," Ball recently shared with a publication.
But it also presented problems. "Sudden riches meant we could purchase substances to relieve the monotony" of press appearances and TV performances, Ball said.
"I know that's a cliché, but it's a cliché for a good reason, because it works for so many bands."
During the hedonistic lifestyle, the duo were also growing distant, but they succeeded to create a second classic album - the wayward, tense and aptly-titled The Art Of Falling Apart.
They put out another album, 1984's This Last Night In Sodom, before ending the group to focus on individual endeavors.
Almond proceeded to have a successful solo career, including the top 10 hit Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart; while Ball created The Grid, who combined dance music with ambient pop over a long-lasting collaboration.
Later Work and Comebacks
Soft Cell came back together in the early 2000s, producing the Top 40 record Cruelty Without Beauty.
After a further break, they reappeared in 2018, releasing the original singles Northern Lights and Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) before performing what was intended to be a final performance at the O2 Arena on September 30, that year.
However, they remained active, creating their fifth album, Happiness Not Included, during the 2020 Covid lockdown.
Ball lately characterized the band's upcoming release as a homage to the NYC nightlife they visited while making their first two albums.
He added that his period in hospital had influenced the group's music.
"I had unusual memories when I was coming and going of the hospital because I was on morphine," he told a publication.
"Our latest tracks are a digital reflection of the noises in my mind from those days.
"In parallel, it's about the times we got up to in the 1980s."
The last versions were finished only days before Ball died. It is scheduled for launch in the spring of 2026.
