Ace Frehley

Ace Frehley, the guitarist, singer, and songwriter whose rocking guitar licks drove the iconic sounds of Kiss, died October 16, 2025, in Morristown, New Jersey. He died after a recent fall at the age of 74.

Frehley was "The Spaceman" of Kiss, choosing silver stars and stylized black lipstick as his signature makeup design. He was an indispensable part of Kiss' explosive stage shows, wielding special-effects guitars that emitted smoke and flames, blasted off pyrotechnics, or pulsed light in tempo with the music. And his guitar, vocals, and songwriting were all over the band's sound, blending with the work of his bandmates to create a heavy metal style that continues to influence rock music.

His former bandmates remembered him after his death in a statement that said in part, "He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history. He is and will always be a part of KISS's legacy."

Born Paul Daniel Frehley in the Bronx, New York City, he began teaching himself to play guitar as a young teen. He played in local bands in high school, but it wasn't until he was 21 that he found his way to the band that would make him famous. He came across an ad in the Village Voice, looking for a guitar player with "flash and ability." His audition was a success, and he and Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss formed Kiss in 1973. Frehley decided to go by his school nickname, Ace, to avoid confusion with Stanley.

Within a few months of their formation, the members of Kiss had begun painting their faces in the stylized kabuki-type designs that would become iconic. Later that year, they secured a record contract, releasing their self-titled debut album in 1974. Though "Kiss" didn't produce any major hit singles, it did include songs that are now considered among their classics – "Strutter," "Nothin' to Lose," "Black Diamond" – and it included the first song Frehley wrote for the band, "Cold Gin." He didn't yet feel confident about his own vocals, so Simmons sang lead on the track.

The first few records for Kiss were slow starters, though their 1975 third album, "Dressed to Kill," included the song that's now most indelibly associated with the band, "Rock and Roll All Nite." The popularity of that song was hammered home with their 1975 double live album, "Alive!" which included a concert version of the track. "Alive!" represented a breakthrough for the band, and when they followed it in 1976 with "Destroyer," they had truly arrived. It included the hits "Shout it Out Loud," "Detroit Rock City," and "Beth," as well as another Frehley co-composition, "Flaming Youth."

In 1977, Frehley took his first shot at lead vocals, singing "Shock Me" on the album "Love Gun." The following year, all four members released their debut solo albums simultaneously. Frehley's self-titled contribution outsold the other three, and it included the modestly successful single "New York Groove."

When Kiss reconvened in 1979 for the album "Dynasty," Frehley's vocals were more prominent than ever. He sang lead on three songs, the Rolling Stones cover "2,000 Man" as well as two tracks he penned, "Hard Times" and "Save Your Love." But the band's popularity was waning, and Frehley was becoming frustrated with the direction he saw Kiss taking. Increasingly, he stepped back from working with Kiss until he officially left the band in 1982, the year before they famously began performing out of makeup.

Frehley began assembling his own band, Frehley's Comet, releasing their self-titled debut album in 1987. He wrote or co-wrote many of the songs on the album while sharing lead vocal duties with keyboardist and guitarist Tod Howarth. Frehley's Comet released a second album before Frehley returned to recording solo albums, most recently releasing the 2024 LP "10,000 Volts."

In 1995, Frehley rejoined Kiss for an "MTV Unplugged" appearance. This led to a 1996 reunion tour, featuring the band's original lineup. He made minor contributions to the 1998 Kiss album "Psycho Circus," then embarked on a 2000–'01 tour with the band before returning to his solo career.

Frehley famously took his musicianship somewhat less seriously than his bandmates would have liked, indulging in vices and not always bothering to practice as frequently as others. In a 1994 interview with Marc Allen, he acknowledged this while also giving himself deserved credit for his broad influence in the rock world: "A lotta people have come up to me and tell me, you know, if it wasn't for me they would have never picked up a guitar. If I knew that was gonna be the case I probably woulda practiced a little more."

Greats from the rock world paid tribute to Frehley in the wake of his death, including many of those younger musicians whose careers were jumpstarted in part by his influence. Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello called Frehley his "first guitar hero," saying, "The legendary Space Ace Frehley inspired generations to love rock n roll and love rock'n'roll guitar playing. His timeless riffs and solos, the billowing smoke coming from his Les Paul, the rockets shooting from his headstock, his cool spacey onstage wobble and his unforgettable crazy laugh will be missed but will never be forgotten."

Heavy metal band Anthrax said, "Seeing a kid from the Bronx become a worldwide guitar hero changed all of our lives. You shaped us into the musicians we are and we’re eternally grateful." Rock band Extreme said, "For so many of us, he was one of the first reasons we ever picked up a guitar." And Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready noted, "Just listen to 'Alive,' I used his solo from 'She' as a template. Ace jammed on 'Black Diamond' with Pearl Jam at Madison Square Garden…a dream come true for me. I would not have picked up a guitar without Ace and KISS’s influence."

Frehley is survived by his wife, Jeanette Trerotola, to whom he had been married since 1976, as well as his daughter, Monique; brother, Charles; and sister, Nancy Salvner.

By Linnea Crowther

(Image: Mike Pont/WireImage)