‘Godspeed, Ace’: Ace Frehley Mourned by KISS Bandmate Gene Simmons, Bret Michaels, Tom Morello, Pearl Jam & More

Founding KISS guitarist Ace Frehley died Thursday (Oct. 16) astatine property 74 aft sustaining injuries suffered during a autumn past month.

Frehley’s household issued a connection announcing the guitarist’s death, saying successful part: “We are wholly devastated and heartbroken. In his past moments, we were fortunate capable to person been capable to situation him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions arsenic helium near this earth. … Reflecting connected each of his unthinkable beingness achievements, Ace’s representation volition proceed to unrecorded connected forever!”

Frehley’s chap rockers were besides heartbroken erstwhile the quality broke, coming retired successful droves connected societal media to stock their emotion and condolences for the precocious instrumentalist and his family.

The guitarist’s onetime KISS bandmate and chap co-founder Gene Simmons posted connected X, writing, “Our hearts are broken. Ace has passed on. No 1 tin interaction Ace’s legacy. I cognize helium loved the fans. He told maine galore times. Sadder still, Ace didn’t unrecorded agelong capable to beryllium honored astatine the Kennedy Ctr Honors lawsuit successful Dec. Ace was the eternal stone soldier. Long whitethorn his bequest unrecorded on!”

KISS volition beryllium honored astatine the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors, taping Dec. 7 and airing Dec. 23 connected CBS. Frehley volition beryllium conscionable the 3rd idiosyncratic to person the grant posthumously.

Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan posted a throwback photograph of Frehley on Instagram, penning “Godspeed, Ace.”

Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello besides posted a lengthy tribute, penning connected Instagram that Frehley was, “My archetypal guitar hero.”

“The legendary Space Ace Frehley inspired generations to emotion stone n rotation and emotion stone n rotation guitar playing,” Morello wrote. “His timeless riffs and solos, the billowing fume coming from his Les Paul, the rockets shooting from his headstock, his chill spacey onstage wobble and his unforgettable brainsick laughter volition beryllium missed but volition ne'er beryllium forgotten. Thank you, Ace for a beingness of large euphony and memories.

Grunge rockers Pearl Jam besides shared a statement, noting that successful their aboriginal days arsenic a set they “spent untold hours talking astir KISS and buy...