Ace Frehley, Original KISS Guitarist and ‘Spaceman,’ Dead at 74
MORRISTOWN, NJ – The rock world is mourning the loss of a founding legend. Ace Frehley, the iconic original lead guitarist for the band KISS, known universally by his famous stage persona as “The Spaceman,” has died. He was 74.
Frehley, who was instrumental in defining the band’s electrifying sound and theatrical image during their rise to global superstardom, passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 16, surrounded by family in Morristown, New Jersey.
His death follows complications from injuries sustained during a recent fall at his home studio, which had led the guitarist to cancel the remainder of his 2025 tour dates due to “ongoing medical issues.”
The Architect of Shock Rock
Born Paul Daniel Frehley in 1951, Ace Frehley co-founded KISS in New York City in 1973 alongside singer-guitarist Paul Stanley, bassist Gene Simmons, and drummer Peter Criss. Frehley’s raw, blues-influenced guitar work and his penchant for stage theatrics made him an irreplaceable element of the group’s early success.
As “The Spaceman,” Frehley donned elaborate silver makeup and a custom suit, captivating audiences with pyrotechnic displays, including his signature moment: a guitar that would smoke and shoot rockets from its headstock. He provided the signature licks on foundational KISS albums like Destroyer, Love Gun, and Rock and Roll All Nite.
“He’s got the sound. He’s got the grit. He’s the soul of the group,” Gene Simmons once said about Frehley’s contribution to the band’s unique chemistry.
An Enduring Solo Legacy
Though he left the band for the first time in 1982, Frehley maintained a successful solo career. His 1978 self-titled solo album, released concurrently with the other three KISS members’ efforts, was the most commercially successful of the four, featuring the hit single “New York Groove,” which remains an enduring classic.
He later rejoined KISS for a highly lucrative reunion tour in 1996, bringing the original lineup, makeup, and stage show back to a new generation of fans.
In a joint statement, former bandmates Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons expressed their grief: “We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley. 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.”
Frehley, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, is the first member of the original four-man lineup to pass away. He leaves behind an enduring musical blueprint that continues to inspire musicians and confirm his status as one of rock and roll’s most influential guitar heroes.
