Ace Frehley, KISS Co-Founder & Guitar Hero, Dies at 74

Ace Frehley, the founding guitarist of KISS known for his Spaceman persona, has died at age 74.

His family shared the news Thursday (Oct. 16) through a 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!”

Earlier on Thursday, TMZ reported that Frehley was on life support after suffering a brain bleed when he fell while in the studio weeks ago. The musician had canceled his performance at the Antelope Valley Fair in Lancaster, California, after suffering what was then described as 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 on his Instagram at the time. Less than two weeks later, Frehley’s team announced on social media that he would be canceling all of his remaining appearances in 2025 “due to some ongoing medical issues.”

Frehley was a core part of KISS since co-founding the band in 1973, sticking with the lineup through 1982. He later returned for the band’s blockbuster reunion tour in 1996 and stayed on until 2002.

The band released some of its most successful albums during Frehley’s tenure, including 1977’s Love Gun and Alive II, both of which charted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200.

Frehley set out on his own in 1984 with Frehley’s Comet, a hard rock band with whom he released two albums and an EP before dropping his debut solo album, Trouble Walkin’, in 1989, which included a guest appearance from his former KISS bandmate Peter Criss.

In February 2024, Frehley told Billboard that he thought there was still a chance the original KISS lineup might reunite. “I’m the only game in town because KISS is supposedly retired — which I don’t believe is gonna happen,” he said at the time. “But be that as it may … I actually added two more KISS songs to my set. We added ‘Shout It Out Loud’ and ‘Rock and Roll All Nite’ because talking to people, they go … ‘You gotta do those songs live.’ And I did, and it went over fantastic.”

Frehley’s original KISS bandmates Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are set to perform next month at the three-day KISS Kruise: Landlocked in Vegas event. Earlier this month, Simmons was also hospitalized following a minor car accident, but he was “back to work” prepping for the KISS Kruise a day later.

This article was first published by Billboard U.S.