Ace Frehley, the Bronx-born guitar hero who helped rocket KISS from New York clubs to global phenomenon, has died at 74 following complications from a fall last month. His family confirmed he passed peacefully in Morristown, New Jersey, surrounded by loved ones, sharing that they are “devastated and heartbroken” and will “celebrate his strengths and kindness” as his legacy lives on.
Paul Daniel “Ace” Frehley co-founded KISS with Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Peter Criss in 1973, inventing the “Spaceman” persona and designing the band’s lightning-bolt logo that would emblazon bedroom walls and arena merch for generations.
Initially reluctant to sing, he still made a lasting mark from the jump: co-writing Cold Gin for KISS’s 1974 debut, shaping the band’s heavy, atmospheric guitar language, and later stepping to the mic on fan favorite Shock Me, inspired by his onstage near-electrocution.
While KISS became the quintessential arena spectacle, Ace’s style remained deeply human—aggressive yet melodic, blues-rooted but future-facing. His live arsenal was the stuff of legend: smoking Les Pauls, spinning pyrotechnics, and those soaring leads that turned Alive! into a gateway drug for countless kids who’d soon pick up a guitar. Guitar World would eventually rank him among the greatest metal guitarists of all time; the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame enshrined him with KISS in 2014.
Ace’s solo path was just as indelible. Of the four 1978 KISS solo LPs, his went platinum and produced a signature solo hit, New York Groove, which still pulses through sports arenas and classic rock playlists. With Frehley’s Comet in the late ’80s and a long run of solo releases (most recently 2024’s 10,000 Volts), he kept refining the Ace sound, bigger riffs, catchier hooks, and that unmistakable tone. Origins Vol. 3, long teased, was in the works.
The road back to KISS came in 1996 for the blockbuster reunion and “Psycho Circus” era, before Ace exited again in 2002. Through it all, he remained the franchise’s wild heart—equal parts space-age myth and New York street grit. Offstage, he was famously candid about his struggles and equally generous with fans, quick with a grin and a signature on a well-loved LP sleeve.
News of his death follows reports that he suffered a brain bleed after a September fall that forced him to cancel shows. His family’s statement, shared with Fox News Digital, emphasized the outpouring of love in his final hours and the “epic” magnitude of his loss.
For rock fans, and for the legions in face paint who learned power chords because Ace made it look fun—this one lands hard. He didn’t just play the Spaceman. He made guitar culture feel cosmic, accessible, and loud enough to shake the rafters.
Put on New York Groove. Cue up Shock Me. Spin Cold Gin. Remember the smoke curling from that Les Paul and the kid from the Bronx who turned a star painted over his eye into a passport to the universe.
Rest in power, Space Ace.
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