Ace Frehley, the founding guitarist of KISS and a rocker who went on to have a successful solo career with hits such as “New York Groove,” has died. He was 74 years old.
Frehley’s family announced his death Thursday in a statement shared with PEOPLE. On October 16, the rocker suffered a fall at home and died early that day in Morristown, New Jersey, it was announced.
“We are completely devastated and heartbroken. In his final moments, we were fortunate to be able to surround him with loving, caring and peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this world,” the statement read. “We will cherish all of his fondest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strength and kindness that he gave to others. The magnitude of his death is epic and beyond comprehension. Ace’s memory will live on forever as we reflect on all of his amazing accomplishments in life!”
TMZ previously reported that Locker was on life support due to a brain bleed following a fall several weeks ago.
Frehley told fans about the fall in a statement posted to Instagram on September 25, noting that he had to cancel a performance scheduled for the next day in Lancaster. California
A statement said the fall was “minor” and the star was “in good spirits” but was unable to attend the show on doctor’s orders.
“Ace looks forward to continuing touring and finishing work on his next album, Origins Vol. 4,” the statement read.
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Then, on October 6, Frehley canceled his remaining 2025 tour dates “due to ongoing medical issues.”
Born Paul Frehley in the Bronx, New York, Frehley was known for his “alien” persona and make-up in KISS, which he co-founded in 1973 and eventually left in 1982.
Despite a rocky relationship with former bandmates Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley in the years that followed, Frehley briefly rejoined the band for a reunion tour in 1996, and last performed with the group on the 2018 KISS Cruise.
“I’ve always been a fatalist and believed in destiny. When I was 16, I was convinced that I was going to be a rock star. No one could change my mind,” he said in a 2018 interview at the Musicians Association, according to Blabermas. “Someone said to me in an interview, ‘What would have happened if KISS had failed?’ I said, ‘Any other band would have been famous.’ There was nothing stopping me. ”
Tensions between Simmons and Fraley go back years. In 2019, Simmons told Guitar World that Frehley and founding drummer Peter Criss had been fired from KISS three times, in part for not being “acceptable” and being unreliable on stage.
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In response, Mr. Frehley denied that he had been fired and criticized Mr. Simmons and Mr. Stanley, calling them “managers, untrustworthy, and too difficult to work with.”
Still, Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, who was inducted with the group into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, called Frehley “the first guitar hero.”
During the induction ceremony, Simmons also praised Frehley, saying, “His iconic guitar playing has been imitated by generations of guitarists around the world, but never duplicated.”
After leaving KISS, Frehley formed his own group, Frehley’s Comet, released two albums, and went on to have a successful solo career with his platinum-selling self-titled debut in 1978 (according to his biography, he became the only KISS member to have a solo album reach the top 10 of the Billboard 200 album chart with 2014’s Space Invaders).
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Ace Frehley’s songs include hits such as “Rip It Out” and a cover of “New York Groove,” the latter of which is still played every time the New York Mets win a home game at Citi Field.
Frehley said in 2018 that his favorite KISS song was “Deuce,” but cited Ace Frehley as his favorite album he’s ever recorded, saying it “has stood the test of time.” Since then, he has released a number of solo albums, including 2024’s 10,000 Volts.
He is the father of a daughter, Monique, with his wife Janet, and he said in a 2018 interview that it was Monique who inspired him to quit drinking in 2006.
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“My daughter calls me and says, ‘Dad, I haven’t heard very good things about you.’ I look in the mirror and just say, ‘She’s right,'” he said. “I called my sponsor that night and he took me to an AA meeting. I’ve been sober ever since.”
In a 2024 interview with Antihero magazine, Frehley summed up his legacy in his own words.
“I have to say, almost every guitarist I meet, at least 75 percent, maybe more, says, ‘You made me pick up the guitar. When I heard Alive!, that’s it, I decided to pick up the guitar and start learning your songs,'” he said. “Being able to transition from a supergroup like KISS to being a successful solo artist will truly be my legacy.”
Fraley is survived by his wife Janet, daughter Monique, brother Charles, sister Nancy Salvenor, and numerous nieces, nephews and extended family.
