The members of KISS have released statements mourning the loss of lead guitarist Ace Frehley, who died on Thursday at the age of 74. Gene Simmons wrote on X, “Our hearts are broken. Ace has passed on. No one can touch Ace’s legacy. I know he loved the fans. He told me many times. Sadder still, Ace didn’t live long enough to be honored at the Kennedy Ctr Honors event in Dec. Ace was the eternal rock soldier. Long may his legacy live on!” In a statement from Simmons and Paul Stanley to Entertainment Weekly, the pair called Frehley “an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history.” Drummer Peter Criss shared a statement on his website in which he revealed that he and his wife were with Frehley “to the end,” joined by Frehley’s loved ones and noting that he died peacefully. “His legacy will live on in the music industry and in the hearts of the KISS Army,” Criss added. In August, President Donald Trump announced that KISS would be one of the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees alongside actor Sylvester Stallone and Gloria Gaynor.
Our hearts are broken. Ace has passed on. No one can touch Ace’s legacy. I know he loved the fans. He told me many times. Sadder still, Ace didn’t live long enough to be honored at the Kennedy Ctr Honors event in Dec. Ace was the eternal rock soldier. Long may his legacy live on!
— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) October 16, 2025
Read it at Entertainment Weekly
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