KISS founding member and guitarist Ace Frehley died at the age of 74. “We are completely devastated and heartbroken. In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth,” his family shared in a statement to Variety. “We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others. The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension. Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever!” Shortly after the news broke, Gene Simmons remembered Frehley as an “eternal rock soldier” in a statement on X.
Frehley was on life support after getting a brain injury in a fall while he was in the studio on September 25. At the time, his official Instagram called the incident a “minor fall” but still insinuated that Frehley would be in good health. “He is fine, but against his wishes, his doctor insists that he refrain from travel at this time,” he wrote at the time, and canceled an upcoming concert in Lancaster. Two weeks later, Frehley canceled the remainder of his shows for the year. Vulture has reached out to Frehley’s rep for further comment.
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Born in New York as Paul Frehley, Frehley was known to KISS fans as The Spaceman or Space Ace for his starry face paint and love of science fiction. As one of the founding members, he designed the rough draft of the original lightning bolt logo; Paul Stanley (KISS’s Starchild) eventually redrew the final logo, inspired by Frehley’s art. After ten albums, Frehley left the group in 1983 and started a solo career. He eventually rejoined KISS briefly in 1996 before leaving again in 2002. Alongside the band, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. In his acceptance speech, he remembered their legacy in the rock genre. He said, “When I was 13 years old, I picked up my first guitar. I always sensed I would be in for something big. I experienced the Summer of Love. [laughs] That was before I met these clowns, and several years later we got together and you know the story; the rest was Kisstory.”
