Ace Frehley, who co-founded Kiss and served as the band\u2019s original guitarist for years, has died. He was 74.<\/p>\n
The musician\u2019s family announced the news in an emotional statement on Thursday, Oct. 16.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are completely\u00a0devastated and heartbroken,\u201d they began, per Variety<\/a>. \u201cIn 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Ace Frehley attends the AOL Build Speaker Series in New York City on March 23, 2016. WireImage<\/p>\n Frehley during a Kiss concert in Los Angeles, California, in 1994. Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cWe cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others,\u201d Frehley\u2019s loved ones continued. \u201cThe magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace\u2019s memory will continue to live on forever!\u201d they concluded.<\/p>\n Simmons and Stanley later paid tribute to their late bandmate in a touching joint statement of their own.<\/p>\n Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss and Frehley as Kiss. Redferns<\/p>\n \u201cWe are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley,\u201d the pair began. \u201cHe was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe is and will always be a part of KISS\u2019s legacy,\u201d they added. \u201cOur thoughts are with Jeanette, Monique and all those who loved him, including our fans around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Frehley attends the Build Series at Build Studio in New York City on October 16, 2018. Getty Images<\/p>\n John Ostrosky, Frehley\u2019s longtime manager, remembered the beloved guitarist as well.<\/p>\n \u201cSince 1976, Space Ace has been my Superman. His kindness, caring, and inclination to mentor was at the forefront until the very end,\u201d Ostrosky told The Post. \u201cHis influence will live with me forever.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Hours before the news of Frehley\u2019s passing, it was revealed that the former Kiss rocker had been placed on life support with a brain bleed<\/a> following a scary fall he suffered in his studio last month.<\/p>\n Frehley at Build Studio in New York City on October 16, 2018. Getty Images<\/p>\n Frehley, dubbed the Spaceman and Space Ace,\u00a0co-founded Kiss alongside<\/a>\u00a0Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss in 1973. He remained with the band until his departure in 1982.<\/p>\n After forming his own band, Frehley\u2019s Comet, and then embarking on a solo career,\u00a0the Bronx native<\/a>\u00a0rejoined the hard rockers for a successful reunion tour in 1996 and remained until 2002.<\/p>\n The \u201cRock and Roll All Nite\u201d guitarist first caused concern last month after announcing that he couldn\u2019t make a performance in California scheduled for Sept. 26 because he\u00a0suffered \u201ca minor fall in his studio\u201d<\/a>\u00a0that resulted \u201cin a trip to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n Frehley performs in concert in Cedar Park, Texas, on July 13, 2023. Getty Images<\/p>\n Frehley ahead of a concert at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on January 29, 2010. Newspix via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cHe is fine, but against his wishes, his doctor insists that he refrain from travel at this time,\u201d read a message on the \u201cCold Gin\u201d writer\u2019s Instagram page.<\/p>\n Frehley then canceled the remaining dates of his 2025 tour\u00a0because of \u201congoing medical issues\u201d<\/a>\u00a0following the fall that left him hospitalized.<\/p>\n \u201cDue to some ongoing medical issues, Ace has made the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of his 2025 dates,\u201d the musician announced in an Instagram post on Oct. 6.<\/p>\n Frehley in his full Kiss makeup and costume circa 1980. Corbis\/VCG via Getty Images<\/p>\n Frehley before a Kiss concert at the Electric Ballroom in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 18, 1974. WireImage<\/p>\n Born Paul Daniel Frehley in the Bronx, the guitarist was introduced to music at an early age.<\/p>\n He taught himself the instrument after being influenced by legends like B.B. King and Jimi Hendrix, and opened up about his own influence on the music world during a candid interview with Guitar World<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d probably have practiced a little more if I knew I was going to affect that many people\u2019s lives,\u201d he joked at the time. \u201cIt does make me proud and very happy, though, that I influenced a lot of great guitar players. And with so many of them, I can\u2019t even begin to name, I have become friends with too.\u201d<\/p>\n Frehley without his Kiss costume and makeup. Redferns<\/p>\n Frehley during Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll Fantasy Camp in Las Vegas, Nevada, on February 18, 2013. WireImage<\/p>\n But despite rocking out for years, it wasn\u2019t until 1973 that Frehley got his big break and became one of the four founding members of Kiss alongside Simmons, 76, Stanley, 73, and Criss, 79.<\/p>\n After sticking with the \u201cRock and Roll All Nite\u201d rockers for nearly 10 years, Frehley departed the band in 1982 to start his own group, Frehley\u2019s Comet.<\/p>\n However, he released his first solo album in 1978, roughly four years before leaving Kiss.<\/p>\n Frehley, Stanley, Criss and Simmons of Kiss pose for a portrait session in Los Angeles, California, in January 1975. Michael Ochs Archives<\/p>\n Simmons, Frehley, Criss and Stanley before a concert in Hartford, Connecticut, on February 16, 1977. AP<\/p>\n The self-titled record included nine tracks, including a cover of Hello\u2019s 1975 song \u201cNew York Groove.\u201d Although Hello found success with the track, it proved to be a major hit for Frehley across the US.<\/p>\n Despite scoring success as a single act and releasing 10 solo studio albums, the Bronx native\u00a0opted to rejoin Kiss for the band\u2019s reunion tour in 1996. He remained until 2002.<\/p>\n In the years that followed, Frehley only reunited with his former bandmates a handful of times, including a surprise appearance with Simmons at Capitol Records in Los Angeles in Jan. 2018.<\/p>\n Frehley in his full Kiss makeup and costume. Corbis\/VCG via Getty Images<\/p>\n Simmons performing in St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 20, 2017. AP<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to invite Ace on stage,\u201d Simmons said to cheers at the time. \u201cNothing is planned, he just happened to come by.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a great day,\u201d Frehley added. \u201cThank you for coming.\u201d<\/p>\n Frehley\u2019s most recent solo album, titled \u201c10,000 Volts,\u201d was released in Feb. 2023.<\/p>\n Frehley, Stanley, Criss and Simmons pose for a portrait session in Los Angeles, California, in January 1975. Michael Ochs Archives<\/p>\n As for Kiss, the band took its final bow with two back-to-back shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City in Dec. 2024. Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer joined Simmons and Stanley for the concerts, as Frehley and Criss both declined to participate.<\/p>\n Frehley previously made headlines in August when he and his former Kiss bandmates were\u00a0announced as 2025 Kennedy Center honorees<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cA dream come true that I never thought would materialize,\u201d he\u00a0told TMZ\u00a0at the time.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t