R.I.P. Ace Frehley (original KISS guitarist)

Farewell to The Space Ace, as the Spaceman continues his journey into the afterlife–

Original lead guitarist of Kiss, Ace Frehley, died on October 16 in Morristown, N.J. at the age of 74. He passed away at a local hospital following complications from two falls at his home studio and was on a ventilator and related life support at the time of death.

Paul Daniel “Ace” Frehley was born in the Bronx, NY on April 27, 1951, the youngest of three children of the very musical family of Carl Frehley, an electrical engineer, and his wife Esther (Hecht).

To help keep him out of trouble (both from in gangs as well as in school), his parents gave him his first electric guitar as a Christmas present at age thirteen, and Frehley took to it quickly, inspired by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. He was given the nickname “Ace” a few years later, by the drummer in one of his early bands, who admired his ability to smoothly secure dates.

Frehley played in numerous early bands including The Outrage, Honey, King Kong, Molimo (who were signed to RCA Records), and Cathedral. In late 1972, he was shown an ad in The Village Voice that read, “Lead guitarist wanted with flash and ability” and successfully auditioned for the band that would become known as Kiss, deciding to use the nickname “Ace” full-time, to avoid any confusion with the other Paul in the band, Paul Stanley. The band began to imagine, and work on their image and personas as well, as well as design their immediately recognizable double-lightning bolt logo.

Stanley and bassist Gene Simmons emerged as the primary songwriters in the band, but Frehley regularly contributed songs beginning with “Cold Gin” on their 1974 self-titled debut album. He remained unsure about his own vocal abilities, so didn’t sing lead until on the band’s sixth album, 1977’s “Love Gun,” on his now-classic signature song, “Shock Me.”

As it is well-known, Frehley and Kiss sold millions of records during his two tenures (1973-1982 and 1996-2002) and is known for his guitar that could launch pyro and sparks and his overall musician showmanship and abilities.

Following his first departure from the band, his formed the solo-led band for two albums, Frehley’s Comet, which had commercial success (as well as his own seven solo albums), and was touring regularly until recent days (he had just played Ameristar in North Kansas City on June 28^th).

During his tenure with Kiss, the band released 11 albums (studio and live), that went gold or platinum, the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, and he, Stanley, Simmons, and drummer Peter Criss, are scheduled to receive the Kennedy Center Honors this December.

We were there to witness KISS-story at a 2017 Gene Simmons-led “The Children Matter” charity concert in St. Paul, MN when Frehley jumped on stage to join his former bandmate to play live together for the first time in sixteen years (their last time together and Frehley’s final show with the full band, was the closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games).

As with so many artists, Frehley struggled with alcohol and substance abuse- causing internal tensions and at times, some spotty decisions and absences (but he was said to be sober from 2006-on), but his unique riffs, awe-inspiring stage presence, and overall influence on the genre, mostly overshadowed any of his personal battles and shortcomings.

His teenage sweetheart wife, Jeanette (whom he married at age 18 in 1978) survives him, as does their daughter, Monique; a brother, Charles; and his sister, Nancy.