Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley dies aged 74 after fall in his new jersey recording studio

Ace Frehley, the trailblazing lead guitarist and co-founder of Kiss, has died aged 74 following injuries sustained in a fall at his New Jersey recording studio last month.

The musician, whose larger-than-life “Spaceman” persona inspired generations of rock guitarists, died in hospital on Thursday, surrounded by his family. In a statement, they said they were “completely devastated and heartbroken”.

“In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to be able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth,” the family said. “The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions … Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever.”

Born Paul Daniel Frehley in New York City in 1951, Ace helped form Kiss in 1973 alongside Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss. Together, the four transformed rock music with their outlandish costumes, face paint, and pyrotechnic performances that would come to define 1970s arena rock.

Frehley’s distinctive guitar work, marked by raw energy and melodic flair, helped power the band’s first nine albums — including Kiss, Destroyer, Love Gun and Alive! — from cult beginnings to global superstardom.

Following the news of his death, Stanley and Simmons released a joint statement describing Frehley as “irreplaceable”. “He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative, foundational chapters of the band and its history,” they said. “He will always be part of Kiss’s legacy.”

Criss, the band’s original drummer, added in a post on X: “I’m shocked!!! My friend … I love you!”

Reports suggest Frehley’s fatal injuries stemmed from a fall in late September, when he struck his head at his studio. He suffered a brain bleed and was placed on life support for several weeks. The incident forced him to cancel a planned concert in California, with the rest of his 2025 tour later abandoned due to “ongoing health issues.”

Kiss’s origins were modest, but by the mid-1970s they had become one of the world’s biggest live acts, known for their explosive stage shows and theatrical personas: Frehley the Spaceman, Simmons the Demon, Stanley the Starchild, and Criss the Catman.

Frehley’s performances often featured a smoke-spewing Les Paul guitar, one of the band’s most famous stage gimmicks. Despite never taking a formal lesson, he became one of rock’s most influential players. “I don’t know how to read music,” he once said. “But I’m one of the most famous guitarists in the world, so go figure.”

His 1978 solo album — released the same day as the other Kiss members’ solo projects — was the best-selling of the four, thanks to his hit single New York Groove.

By the early 1980s, however, Frehley had grown disillusioned with the band’s musical direction and left Kiss in 1982 amid battles with addiction. “I believed that if I stayed in that group, I would have killed myself,” he later admitted.

He formed Frehley’s Comet in 1984 and released several solo albums, including Trouble Walkin’ in 1989, before rejoining Kiss for their massive 1996 reunion tour. He remained until 2002, but his relationships with Simmons and Stanley were often strained in later years.

In 2019, after Simmons claimed Frehley had been fired for drug use, the guitarist hit back, insisting he had been sober for over a decade and quit “of my own free will.”

Despite the feuds, his influence endured. Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready said Frehley “changed my life,” adding: “I would not have picked up a guitar without Ace and Kiss’s influence.”

Poison’s Bret Michaels also paid tribute, writing: “Ace, my brother … thank you for the years of great music and the festivals we’ve shared. May you rest in peace.”

From his smoking guitars to his signature solos, Frehley embodied the reckless spirit of 1970s rock ’n’ roll — a guitarist whose swagger, sound, and style helped make Kiss one of the most iconic bands in history.

He is survived by his wife, Jeanette, and daughter Monique.