Founding KISS member Ace Frehley has died following reports of hospitalization for a brain bleed on Thursday, Oct. 16. He was 74 years old.
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“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 said in a statement. “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!”
Sources told TMZ that Frehley suffered a brain bleed resulting from a fall in his studio in September. This forced the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer to cancel all remaining shows through February 2026. A Sept. 25 social media post read, “He is fine, but against his wishes, his doctor insists that he refrain from travel at this time.”
According to TMZ, Frehley’s health never improved, and eventually medical professionals placed him on a ventilator.
Becoming the Spaceman: A Look At Ace Frehley’s Life And Career
Born April 27, 1951, in the Bronx, Paul Daniel “Ace” Frehley grew up surrounded by music. Receiving his first electric guitar as a Christmas present, a then 13-year-old Frehley threw himself into learning to play the instrument.
Frehley spent the early ’70s rotating through a roster of local bands. That changed in late 1972, when a friend passed along a Village Voice advertisement for a lead guitarist position. Despite showing up to his audition sporting mismatched sneakers, rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley, bassist Gene Simmons and drummer Peter Criss liked what they heard. Thus, KISS was born, along with their famous stage personas and elaborate makeup. Frehley crowned himself the Spaceman because “I was fascinated with space travel and science fiction and technology in general.”
For 10 years, Frehley played guitar and contributed lyrics to songs like the fan classic “Cold Gin.” In 1983, amid mounting substance use issues and growing tensions with his bandmates, the Spaceman left KISS behind. He would go on to start a highly successful solo career, including his Top 20 cover of the Russ Ballard song “New York Groove,” before re-joining Kiss for their 1996 farewell tour.
Frehley’s frenetic playing style inspired countless others, including Dimebag Darrell, John 5, Slash, and more.
“I was a major influence on the guitar players,” Frehley said in an interview. “A lotta people have come up to me and tell me, you know, if it wasn’t for me they would have never picked up a guitar. If I knew that was gonna be the case, I probably woulda practiced a little more.”
Featured image by Kevin Mazur/WireImage
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