News of his death began circulating on social media at midday
Legendary guitarist and founding member of Kiss, Ace Frehley, has passed away at the age of 74. While his official cause of death has not been revealed, the guitarist was in a New Jersey hospital after suffering from a brain bleed following a fall in his studio last month, forcing him to cancel the remainder of his 2025 tour dates.
“We are completely devastated and heartbroken,” Frehley’s family shares in a statement. “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!”
In September, Frehley postponed a single show after what his team said was a “minor fall” in his studio that resulted in a hospital visit. However, on October 6th, all dates were canceled following advice from his medical team regarding “ongoing medical issues.”
The news of Frehley’s death began spreading quickly on social media around noon PT after Poison drummer Rikki Rockett posted on Facebook, “I am hearing rumors of Ace Frehley’s passing just an hour or so ago. I hope not!!!”
Thirty minutes later, a rep for Frehley confirmed to us, “There has been NO confirmation that Mr. Frehley has passed at this moment,” with no further details.
Around 1:30 pm PT, TMZ reported that Frehley was hospitalized on life support with a brain bleed due to the fall. However, his condition never improved, which resulted in his family making the difficult decision to pull the ventilator on Thursday afternoon.
SiriusXM host and close friend Eddie Trunk addressed the rumors during Thursday’s Trunk Nation on Faction Talk 103. He said those in Frehley’s inner circle knew about his condition for the past two weeks, but he was waiting to comment when the family was ready to share. After the news broke of his death, Trunk confirmed he will pay tribute to his friend on Friday’s show, which will begin an hour earlier at 2 pm ET.
Born Paul Daniel “Ace” Frehley on April 27, 1951, and raised in The Bronx, New York City, Frehley received an electric guitar as a Christmas present in 1964 and started playing at age 13. He never had formal music lessons. He got the nickname “Ace” in high school.
Frehley invented the iconic character of The Spaceman (also known as Space Ace) for his persona in Kiss, complete with a unique make-up design. He also designed the band’s distinctive double-lightning-bolt logo. He joined Kiss (which evolved from the band Wicked Lester) in early 1973, playing alongside Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Peter Criss. He played with the group from its inception until his first departure in 1982. He later rejoined the band in 1996 for a highly successful reunion tour, staying until 2002.
Frehley’s role as lead guitarist was characterized by his frenetic, atmospheric, and melodic playing, which influenced a generation of new players. He is well-known for using Gibson Les Paul guitars, including models that produced smoke or pyrotechnics during his solos.
He wrote or co-wrote several of the band’s songs, including the fan classic “Cold Gin.” Due to his initial lack of confidence in his singing voice, Gene Simmons performed the vocals on “Cold Gin.”
Frehley first sang lead on a Kiss song with “Shock Me,” which appeared on the 1977 album Love Gun and was inspired by his near-electrocution during a concert.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Kiss in 2014.
Frehley, along with the other three original members of Kiss, released an eponymous solo album in 1978. His album, titled Ace Frehley, was the highest-selling of the four Kiss solo albums in the SoundScan era and achieved platinum status. It featured the hit single “New York Groove” (a cover of a Russ Ballard song).
After his initial departure from Kiss, he formed his own band, Frehley’s Comet, releasing two albums with the group.
He has continued a successful solo career under his own name, with albums like 2009’s Anomaly, 2014’s Space Invader, and 2018’s Spaceman. Space Invader reached No. 9 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the only solo album by a past or current Kiss member to reach the Top 10.
Frehley most recently released his highly acclaimed album, 10,000 Volts. He recently expressed his eagerness to continue working on his next covers album, Origins Vol. 3.
His autobiography, No Regrets: A Rock ‘N’ Roll Memoir, was released in 2011.
