Founding KISS guitarist Ace Frehley dies, aged 74

17 October 2025, 09:31

By Radio X

@RadioX

The musician passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, in Morristown, New Jersey, his agent confirmed.

Ace Frehley, the original KISS guitarist has died, aged 74.

The musician passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, in Morristown, New Jersey, his agent said.

His family, who were "completely devastated and heartbroken" said in a statement: "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."

Known for his "spaceman" persona, New York-born Frehley was Kiss's guitarist when the band started in 1973 alongside Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss.

In a joint statement, Stanley and Simmons said, "We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley. He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history. He is and will always be a part of KISS's legacy."

Like his bandmates, Frehley took on a comic book-style persona on stage and captivated audiences with his elaborate makeup and smoke-filled guitar. The band's shows were known for being larger than life, complete with fireworks, smoke, and eruptions of fake blood with of course the members donning their iconic black and white face paint.

In 1983, the band appeared without face paint for the first time in a period known as their "unmasking" and enjoyed something of a resurgence.They later re-masked in the late 1990s.

In 1982, Frehley quit the group, which continued with different musicians. He returned for the band's 1996 reunion tour and stayed on until 2002. He also released multiple solo albums, including his self-titled solo debut in 1978 and several releases under his moniker Frehley's Comet. In 2014, all original KISS members were inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, though the band did not perform in order not to cause issues over the lineup disputes and preserve "the memory of those times".

Frehley is survived by his wife Jeanette and his daughter, Monique.

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