Ace Frehley, Kiss’ unique lead guitarist, dies at 74

Ace Frehley, the unique lead guitarist and founding member of the glam rock band Kiss, died on Thursday, his household and agent stated. He was 74.

Frehley died peacefully surrounded by household in Morristown, New Jersey, following a current fall, his agent informed The Related Press.

Members of the family stated in a press release to AP that they’re “utterly devastated and heartbroken” however will cherish his laughter and have a good time the kindness he bestowed upon others.

Frehley’s former Kiss bandmates, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, stated in a press release they had been “devastated” by Frehley’s passing. 

“He was an important and irreplaceable rock soldier throughout a few of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its historical past,” the 2 stated. “He’s and can at all times be part of KISS’s legacy. Our ideas are with Jeanette, Monique and all those that cherished him, together with our followers around the globe.” 

Frehley is the primary loss of life among the many 4 founding members.

Frehley was recovering from a “minor fall” that pressured him to cancel a scheduled efficiency in late September, his tour supervisor, John Ostrosky, also called John Ostronomy, stated in a Fb publish final month addressed to followers. Docs suggested Frehley to not journey following his fall, Ostrosky stated. 

Born in 1951 within the Bronx, Frehley grew up surrounded by music and acquired his first electrical guitar as a Christmas current in 1964. Earlier than becoming a member of Kiss, he performed in native bands round New York Metropolis and was a roadie for Jimi Hendrix at age 18.

Frehley co-founded Kiss in 1973 alongside Stanley, Simmons and Peter Criss. He performed on a lot of Kiss’ traditional albums, together with “Destroyer,” “Rock and Roll Over” and “Love Gun.” At present, Kiss has extra gold albums than another American band and has offered greater than 100 million data worldwide.  

Kiss, whose hits embrace “Rock and Roll All Nite” and “Detroit Rock Metropolis,” was recognized for its intense stage exhibits, which included fireworks, smoke and eruptions of pretend blood carried out by band members in black-and-white painted faces, platform boots and black wigs.

Band members took on the personas of comedian book-style characters — Frehley was often known as “House Ace” and the “Spaceman.” The New York-born entertainer typically experimented with pyrotechnics, making his guitars glow, emit smoke and shoot rockets from the headstock.

The band was extraordinarily in style, particularly within the mid-Nineteen Seventies, promoting tens of tens of millions of albums and licensing its iconic look to promote quite a few merchandise. “Beth” was its greatest industrial hit within the U.S., peaking at No. 7 on the Billboard High 100 in 1976.

Frehley later launched his first solo album, “Ace Frehley,” in 1978, and his music “New York Groove” shortly turned a success. Frehley incessantly feuded with Stanley and Simmons via the years and left Kiss in 1982 to type the band Frehley’s Comet and later continued recording underneath his personal identify.

In 1996, Frehley rejoined Kiss for his or her 1996 reunion tour however left once more within the early 2000s. The band continued with substitute members sporting the Frehley and Criss make-up and costumes. Kiss carried out a farewell tour in 2023.

When the unique 4 entered the Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame in 2014, a dispute scrapped plans for them to carry out. Simmons and Stanley objected to Criss and Frehley being inducted as an alternative of then-guitarist Tommy Thayer and then-drummer Eric Singer. 

Simmons informed Rolling Stone journal that yr that Frehley and Criss “now not should put on the paint.” “The make-up is earned,” he added. “Simply being there originally will not be sufficient.”

Frehley and Kiss additionally had an enormous affect on the glammy fashion of Nineteen Eighties so-called hair steel bands, together with Mötley Crüe and Poison.

“Ace, my brother, I certainly can’t thanks sufficient for the years of nice music, the numerous festivals we have executed collectively and your lead guitar on Nothing However A Good Time,” Poison entrance man Bret Michaels wrote Thursday on Instagram.

Because the Kennedy Heart’s new chair, President Trump named Kiss as considered one of this yr’s honorees.

In 2024, the band offered its catalog, model identify and mental property to Swedish firm Pophouse Leisure Group in a deal estimated to be greater than $300 million.