KISS legend Ace Frehley has died aged 74. On Thursday his family issued the following statement: "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. 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!"
Although the official cause of death is yet to be released, Ace had recently been put on life support. In late September, the guitarist suffered a damaging fall that triggered a medical crisis, and Ace was forced to cancel all future tour dates, "Dear Rock Soldiers, Ace had a minor fall in his studio, resulting in a trip to the hospital. He is fine, but against his wishes, his doctor insists that he refrain from travel at this time," a statement read at the time."
As a result, he is forced to cancel his performance at the Antelope Valley Fair in Lancaster, California on Friday, September 26th. Please go to the fair to support his friends in Quiet Riot and Vixen, and Ace looks forward to continuing on his tour and finishing work on his next album, Origins Vol. 4."However, fans later grew concerned when music writer Mitch Lafon posted: "Ace, Thank you for the music & memories God bless."
Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan also followed up with the post: "Godspeed, Ace." TMZ also reported that his condition had not improved despite claims that it was a "minor fall", and that he had been on a ventilator in recent weeks before his passing. On October 6 his Instagram page stated: "Due to some ongoing medical issues, Ace has made the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of his 2025 dates." The month prior fans were told the musician had suffered a minor fall. "
© Getty ImagesAce was considered one of the coolest members of the KISS band. "When I play guitar onstage it's like making love," he told Rolling Stone in 1976. "If you're good, you get off every time."
He was also one of the wildest rockstars. "There was so much cocaine in the studio with [producer] Bob Ezrin, it was insane," he told Rolling Stone in 2015. "And I hadn't even done coke before that. I liked to drink. But once I started doing coke, I really liked to drink more, and longer, without passing out. So I was really off to the races. I made my life difficult because there were so many times I'd walk in with a hangover, or sometimes I wouldn't even show up."
The news comes after KISS frontman Gene Simmons was involved in a car crash on the Pacific Coast Highway on October 7 and subsequently taken to the hospital.
© Getty ImagesHe later reassured his fans that he was "completely fine" and recovering well from the incident. As per NBC4 Los Angeles, a witness called 911 after Gene was seen veering across several lanes on the Malibu highway, before he crashed into a parked car around 1 p.m. He reportedly told responders that he had fainted behind the wheel, with his wife, Shannon Simmons, later explaining to the outlet that his doctors had recently changed his medication.
She added that Gene had been discharged from the hospital and was on the mend at home. The KISS rocker shared in a voice message to the outlet that he was "doing fine", and later took to X to reassure fans of his good health. "Thanks, everybody, for the kind wishes," he wrote. "I'm completely fine. I had a slight fender bender. It happens. Especially to those of us [who are] horrible drivers. And that's me. All is well."
© WireImageThe 76-year-old has been living with atrial fibrillation since the mid '00s, which is a common condition where the heart beats rapidly and irregularly, leading to inefficient blood flow around the body.
The symptoms can include fatigue, shortness of breath and palpitations, and the condition can lead to a stroke if not properly monitored. "I had never heard of the term AFib, but about 10 years ago, we were on tour someplace, and onstage the temperature goes up about a hundred, with all the stage lights," he said on an episode of The Doctors in 2016. "I started to get dizzy, perspire, and short of breath. So I called a doctor, and he showed up and said, 'Okay, here's what's going on. There's something called AFib,' and he went down the list. And it was a lot to take in."
