By Monk
Ace Frehley, original guitarist with glam rock giants KISS, has died at the age of 74.
It is understood he suffered a brain haemorrhage following a fall in his home studio last month. He died in hospital in Morristown, New Jersey, surrounded by his family, who said that they had been fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth.
The family’s statement continued:
We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others. The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension. Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever!
Tributes to the guitarist were led by his lifelong friend Peter Criss, with whom Frehley formed KISS, along with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, in New York in 1973. Revealing that he was at Ace’s bedside when he passed, Criss said:
I love you my brother. My love and prayers go out to Jeanette, Monique, Charlie and Nancy and all of Ace’s extended family, bandmates, fans and friends. May the Lord comfort you at this difficult time.
As a founding member of KISS and in [his] solo career, Ace influenced and touch the hearts of millions of people. His legacy will live on in the music industry and in the hearts of the KISS Army.
At this time I ask all of you to please be respectful to Ace’s family and allow them to grieve privately. To the KISS Army and Ace’s Rock Soldiers, my heart is with you all…
Broken…
Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley have issued a joint statement, saying:
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.
Alice Cooper was among the first of his contemporaries to react to the news of his passing:
The worst part of being in rock ‘n’ roll at this point is the fact that some of our fraternity have just reached that age where… they leave the planet. Some of the guys that started 30, 40, 50 years ago are starting to go, and of course Ace Frehley from KISS, one of the pioneers – one of the great guitar players out there…
Ace was an absolute guitar hero to so many people. I did more tours with him than anybody else, as far as opening for us, for quite a long time, so we became quite good friends. And you know, he always brought it every night. He did it every night. Ace was an ACE!
Guitarist Steve Vai posted:
Ace Frehley was the embodiment of rock ’n’ roll attitude — unapologetic, loud and irresistibly catchy. His riffs had swagger, his tone had bite and his presence lit up stages like a supernova.
During my teenage years, his playing inspired me not because it was polished, but because it was gloriously unfiltered and full of life. Ace reminded us all that rock should never apologize for being fun and that a little chaos can sound downright heavenly.
The Spaceman has left the stage, but his orbit will shine forever.
Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth described Frehley as a rocking beacon of light for guitar players worldwide and a massive influence.
As far as I’m concerned Ace was the coolest dude out of the original four. He had some type of swagger that almost defined the term itself. A hard rocking Keith Richards of sorts, albeit in silver makeup and platform heels. Ace Frehley was awesome. Plain and simple.
Paul Daniel ‘Ace’ Frehley formed KISS, alongside Criss, Simmons and Stanley in 1973, using his nickname to inspire the Spaceman character which became his alter ego. He recorded nine studio and two live albums (the iconic ‘Alive’ and ‘Alive II’ sets) with the band, before leaving in 1982, prior to the release of the ‘Creatures Of The Night’ album, on which he is credited but did not perform.
He went on to record two albums and a live EP with his band Frehley’s Comet, as well as his second solo album, ‘Trouble Walkin’, in 1989, before reuniting with his original bandmates in 1996. He left KISS again in 2002, returning to his solo career and subsequently releasing a further six studio albums, the most recent of which, ‘10,000 Volts’, was released last year.
He was working on the third volume of his ‘Origins’ series of covers albums at the time of his accident.
- Photo courtesy of facebook.com/officialacefrehley.