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Kiss frontman Gene Simmons has claimed that his bandmate Ace Frehley’s death was the result of “bad decisions.”
Frehley, the former lead guitarist and founding member of the glam rock band, died in October aged 74 from blunt force injuries to the head sustained during a fall, an autopsy revealed last month.
Although Frehley previously stated he had been sober for the past 20 years, Simmons claimed in a new interview that his bandmate had not accepted help from his loved ones to change his ways.
“He refused [advice] from people that cared about him – including yours truly – to try to change his lifestyle,” Simmons, 76, told the New York Post. “In and out of bad decisions. Falling down the stairs — I’m not a doctor — doesn’t kill you. There may have been other issues, and it breaks my heart.
“The saddest thing – you reap what you shall sow unfortunately.”
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Ace Frehley in Los Angeles in 2014 (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
The Independent has reached out to Frehley’s representative for comment.
Last month, Morris County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death an accident, detailing facial fractures near his eyes and left ear, alongside bruising on his left abdomen, thigh, right hip, and upper thigh.
His family said in a statement that Frehley died surrounded by “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!”
The founding members of Kiss, including Simmons and Paul Stanley, said in a statement that Frehley was an “essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history.”
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Ace Frehley, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss pictured in 1976 (Getty Images)
Frehley’s tour manager John Ostrosky shared September 25 via Facebook that the musician had suffered a “minor fall” and would have to cancel an upcoming tour date.
A subsequent update from Frehley’s official page on October 6 announced: “Due to some ongoing medical issues, Ace has made the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of his 2025 dates.” His death was announced October 17.
Last month, the surviving Kiss members paid homage to Frehley during their first show since retiring from touring. Paul Stanley asked the crowd to lift them in the air and take a moment to “think about somebody who is at the foundation of this band.”
“We’re talking about Ace,” he said. “We certainly had differences, but that’s what family is about. Why don’t we take a moment [and] think about him looking down on us….Let’s have a moment for Ace.”