KISS guitarist and co-founder Ace Frehley dead at 74

by · UPI

Oct. 16 (UPI) -- KISS co-founder and former guitarist Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley died on Thursday at age 74 after being hospitalized for several weeks to treat injuries that he sustained in a fall.

Frehley suffered a serious head injury that led to a brain bleed when he fell while inside a recording studio in September, and his family confirmed his death in a prepared statement, Deadline reported.

"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," the statement said.

"We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others.

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"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!"

Frehley co-founded KISS with bassist Gene Simmons, singer/rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley and drummer Peter Criss in 1972 and stayed with the band until 1982, when he left to pursue a solo career, according to Variety.

He rejoined the band for a reunion tour in 1996 before leaving again in 2002.

Frehley also performed with a band that he named Frehley's Comet and as a solo artist when not playing, recording and touring with KISS.

He was born in the Bronx to a musical family on April 27, 1951, and was given his first electric guitar on Christmas in 1964.

Despite never taking lessons, Frehley taught himself to play and cited guitarists Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck as his inspirations.

He also was inspired by the music of the Rolling Stones, the Who and Led Zeppelin.

Frehley played in several bands before responding to an ad in The Village Voice posted by Simmons, Stanley and Criss, who were seeking a lead guitarist in 1972.

His guitar playing impressed them during a Manhattan audition, and the band members invited him to join and adopted the KISS name in January 1973.

The band initially followed the lead of David Bowie, the New York Dolls and other musical acts by wearing makeup and eventually adopted its trademark Kabuki makeup and dress that gave them a unique look among rock bands.

During the band's early years, Frehley drove a taxi to cover his living costs as it released a debut album in early 1974, followed by two others that Variety described as "only minor successes."

But the band released its "KISS Alive" album in 1975, which featured a dozen of its songs performed live, and it became a best-seller and made Kiss one of the most popular and successful bands of the 1970s and afterward.

KISS was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, and President Donald Trump in August included the band among Kennedy Center Honorees for 2025.

Former KISS manager Bill Aucoin was instrumental in the band's early success and died of cancer in 2010 at age 66.

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Ace Frehley
KISS guitarist and co-founder Ace Frehley arrives in the press room after KISS is inducted at the 29th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in New York City on April 10, 2014. Frehley died at the age of 74 on October 16 after being hospitalized for several weeks to treat injuries that he sustained in a fall. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo