KISS legend Ace Frehley dead at 74
Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley has died at the age of 74.
Ace Frehley fell in his studio and hurt himself at the end of September. Apparently, that led to a brain bleed that he couldn’t recover from. He passed away on 16th October.
Born in The Bronx, New York City, in 1951, he started playing the guitar in 1964. Ace was self-taught, which probably had a big impact on the unique and influential guitarist he became. Ace was the original lead guitarist in KISS. He joined the band in 1972 and recorded and toured with them until 1982. Ace returned to the band in 1996 for a multi-year reunion tour with the original line-up consisting of Ace, Paul Stanley (guitar and vocals), Gene Simmons (bass and vocals) and Peter Criss (drums and vocals).
He left the band for good in 2002. Away from KISS, he formed his own band, Frehley’s Comet (featuring KISS session player Anton Fig on drums), and later continued as a solo artist. His most recent album, “10,000 Volts”, was released in 2024. At the time of his death, he was working on “Origins Vol. 3”.
His iconic KISS make-up and his Gibson Les Paul guitar, which famously emitted smoke during his guitar solos, helped create his legendary status, but it was his guitar playing that was at the centre of it all. Ace was also a great songwriter who wrote or co-wrote KISS songs such as “Cold Gin”, “Parasite”, “Flaming Youth”, “Shock Me”, “Hard Times” and “Talk to Me”.
Ace, whose 2011 autobiography was called “No Regrets”, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of KISS in 2014.
The last time I saw Ace perform was right here in Roppongi, Tokyo, when he performed at Billboard Live on 5th September 2018. He was on fire that night. You can read the gig review here.
Rock in Peace, Space Ace.
Ace Frehley on stage at Billboard Live in Roppongi, Tokyo, in 2018. Photo: Masanori Naruse
