Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Morristown, NJ (WNN) — Legendary rock guitarist and co-founder of the rock band KISS, Ace Frehley, died in Morristown, NJ, on October 16th, 2025. Frehley, 74, died of complications from a fall that occurred in September.
The fall had prompted the cancellation of his remaining 2025 solo tour dates, although the incident had first been reported as minor. The group was known for their over-the-top stage theatrics, leather costumes, platform boots, and black and white kabuki-inspired makeup before their touring retirement in December 2023.
Countless bands and guitarists cite KISS and Ace as their musical influences. Many also credit the band, particularly Gene Simmons, for bringing branding and merchandising to the forefront as an additional revenue stream for bands.
Ace Frehley - 1977 KISS Tour
By: Casablanca Records - Billboard
Paul Daniel Frehley was born in the Bronx, NY, on April 27, 1951. His father was from Pennsylvania, and his mother was originally from Norlina, NC. As a child and teenager, school and Frehley did not mix very well. The creative side of his mind focused more on sketches and notebook doodles than on whatever the teacher had to say.
This disdain for school, along with his neighborhood being unsafe, led to an interest in street gangs. He joined a gang for protection and acceptance at the age of 13. Later that year, his parents would buy him a guitar for Christmas; the gift was intended to keep him out of trouble. Decades later, he would attribute this to saving his life.
Everyone in his family had a musical background, and he taught himself to play guitar. He briefly dropped out of school but returned to earn his high school diploma. Sports and music were both interests for the young man, but a football injury shifted his full focus to music.
His love for music would lead him to leave behind the gang scene before he could become too immersed in the culture. Music offered him an escape from the world and a creative outlet; gangs would have either sent him to prison or the grave.
KISS backstage in 1975 - (L-R) Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, and Frehley
Casablanca Records
Ace's first love was music, but as a struggling musician in numerous local bands, he had bills to pay. As a result, he worked a variety of short-term jobs. He delivered furniture, worked as a mail carrier, provided various delivery services, and was a taxicab driver. His friend spotted an ad in the Village Voice, a local publication for musicians in New York.
He showed the ad to Ace, and he decided to go to the address. He was so poor at this time that his mother drove him to the audition. Showing up wearing one orange and one red tennis shoe, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Peter Criss were unsure of this guy. They were not impressed by his appearance. His playing quickly changed their minds, and within three weeks, he was officially their lead guitarist.
Frehley (right) and Gene Simmons during the Alive II Tour in 1978
Carl Lender - Flickr
The band wanted to be the band that they never saw on stage and wanted to leave fans in awe. They decided to each create a stage persona, complete with costume and character makeup. Due to his love of science fiction and space travel, Ace chose to be the spaceman and would be known as Space Ace for much of his career.
A few months later, the members of the band would begin receiving weekly paychecks of $50 from their manager. Frehley immediately quit his job as a cabbie.
"The Spaceman" was the make-up design used by Frehley during his years with Kiss (1973–1982, 1996–2002)
By Willtron, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=636333
In the mid to late 1970s, KISS was in its heyday. They were larger than life on stage and had musically conquered the world. There was no other concert experience like the one they produced. In just a few short years, they had gone from nobodies to the "Hottest band in the world."
By this point, there were two opinions of the group: either you loved them or you hated them. There was very little middle ground. Frehley was the life of the party, one of the most creative musically and theatrically, and was enjoying life as a rock star. Sometimes, he was enjoying it a little too much; there is no secret that he battled alcohol and substance abuse for several decades. Both on and off stage, Ace Frehley had a unique and contagious laugh.
He was also known as a practical joker. Creatively, he is credited with designing the original double lightning bolt "S" in their iconic stage logo. Reportedly, Paul Stanley polished the original design, and the two created one of the most recognizable band logos in musical history. Frehley played with what has been described as chaos and control, infused with discipline and danger. Theatrically, his guitar solos were a show unto themselves.
Added to the music was a custom guitar with lights that pulsed to the tempo of the song, guitars that smoked, launched fireworks, contained spinning pyrotechnics, and even a guitar that flew. Guitar World would call him the 14th greatest metal guitarist of all time.
Several years ago, he joked that if he had known he would influence so many future guitarists, he would have practiced more. Ace Frehley would be in KISS from 1973 to 1982 and again from 1996 to 2002.
Ace Frehley (center) playing with KISS in Paris, 1999
Tilly Antoine
Ace seemed to be invincible, having survived almost being electrocuted on stage and multiple serious car accidents. On April 23, 1974, Ace crashed the car of one of the crew members. He had been drinking and kept driving the car around the same street, increasing speed with each pass. The result was a head-on collision with a utility pole. The accident left the right side of his face, along with his eye and forehead, cut. The lacerations were so severe that he could only apply makeup to the left side, and thus the album cover for the photo shoot they were involved in had to be airbrushed.
His most memorable close call happened onstage at the Civic Center in Lakeland, Florida, on December 12, 1976. The band performed their opening song at the top of their stage set. Frehley grabbed a metal railing to steady himself as he walked down the stairs to the main stage. The railing was ungrounded due to faulty wiring. As he grabbed the metal railing, it completed an electrical circuit with his guitar.
Massive volts were sent through him; the amount has varied in the retelling over the years. After blacking out, he was unable to feel his hands. After about 10 minutes, he returned to the stage and finished the show. This incident would later inspire him to write one of his most famous songs, "Shock Me."
In April 1987, he would release the song "Rock Soldiers", which was also inspired by two close calls he experienced in automobiles. In April 1982, he was involved in a serious car accident as a passenger in Anton Fig's car, who is best known for being a studio musician and drummer for "Late Night with David Letterman."
In May 1983, Ace was involved in a high-speed police chase through White Plains, NY. He crashed into four cars before fleeing the scene. These two incidents combined to form the basis of the song.
The meteoric rise to fame and subsequent constant touring and studio work led to many well-documented tensions within the band. After Peter Criss was voted out of the group in 1981, Ace quickly lost any say in the band, with most group decisions ending in 2-1 votes. That, along with differences in vision for the band's current and future projects, led to Frehley's departure in 1982.
Ace Frehley 2008
Tilly Antoine
He began working on a solo career and formed the group Frehley's Comet. After some record sales struggles and lineup changes, he would drop the moniker and go by his own name in 1989. He had hoped to regain some of the magic from his 1978 solo album, which was simultaneously released with solo projects of the other three members under the KISS brand. His solo album reached platinum and outsold the other three members' projects. "New York Groove" became a top 20 US hit from this solo album.
He put his solo efforts on hold as the original four members of the group reunited for a reunion tour in 1996. He stayed until the end of the "farewell tour" (which was only a farewell to the original lineup) in 2002.
The original members of KISS would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. Ace would release his last solo album, "10,000 Volts," in 2024. There were plans to release "Origins Vol. 3 in 2026. He was working on this project at the time of his death.
After a heartfelt conversation with his daughter, Ace finally defeated his demons of addiction and substance abuse on September 15, 2006. He was able to remain sober for just over 19 years. He quickly pointed out his sobriety and was proud of making it 19 years. When asked about staying sober on tour, he said he had to get tough and ban alcohol and drugs from his dressing room and tour bus.
Ace Frehley 2011
Craig - https://www.flickr.com/photos/thebudman623/6307234343/in/photostream/
He pointed out that it was not as much of a temptation if it was not around. So many years of abuse, as well as age, had diminished his playing ability and his memory, yet he kept working until his death. Recent health issues had led to false rumors that he was no longer sober, yet he was quick to set the record straight after having worked so hard to maintain his sobriety.
During his 2025 solo tour, Ace Frehley occasionally postponed or canceled several tour dates due to an undisclosed health issue. Along with touring, he was also working in his home studio on his upcoming album, which was scheduled for a 2026 release date. On September 25th, he fell twice at his home studio, hitting his head in the last fall.
At the time, it was stated that he had a minor fall and would be alright, but his doctor advised him not to travel. He canceled an upcoming show. About two weeks later, it was announced that due to ongoing health issues, the remainder of the 2025 tour would be canceled as Ace needed rest and time to regain his health. Reports were released on October 16th that he was hospitalized with a brain bleed from the fall and on life support with a not-so-good prognosis.
Later in the day, several sources reported he had been on a ventilator and life support since the fall, and the family was considering removing the life support, due to his condition not improving. Later that evening, it would be confirmed that Ace Frehley had passed away surrounded by family.
KISS Painting by Savannah Grace Wise
Savannah Grace Wise
Reactions and condolences from fans and peers worldwide quickly poured in, and social media feeds were flooded with similar thoughts as well. Original KISS drummer, Peter Criss, issued a statement, "With a broken heart and deep, deep sadness, my brother Ace Frehley has passed away.
He died peacefully with his family around him. My wife and I were with him to the end as well. I love you, my brother. My love and prayers go out to Jeanette, Monique, Charlie, Nancy, and all of Ace's extended family, bandmates, fans, and friends. May the Lord comfort you at this time."
The other two original members, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, released a combined statement expressing similar sentiments and calling him "an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history. He will always be a part of the KISS legacy."
The four original members of KISS are scheduled to be honored at the Kennedy Center Honors in December. They said they would now include a tribute to Ace Frehley's life as well.
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