Farewell to Ace Frehley - The Kiss "Spaceman" Dead at 74
His solo career began in 1982, he rejoined the band in 1996 for a historic reunion that also passed through Milan
The world of rock mourns Ace Frehley, the historic guitarist and co-founder of Kiss, who passed away at 74 years old in a New Jersey hospital following complications from a fall in recent weeks.
His family announced that the artist died "surrounded by love and words of peace," calling his loss "of epic proportions."
An icon of hard rock guitar, Frehley was an integral part of Kiss from their beginnings in 1973, contributing to the sound and image that made the band legendary. With the Spaceman persona, silver makeup and a Les Paul that spewed smoke during solos, he took the group's theatrical aesthetic to a new level.
After 9 albums and global success, he left the band in 1982 to pursue a solo career, scoring hits like New York Groove. He returned to Kiss for the 1996 reunion, staying until 2002. In 2000, Kiss also starred in the FPS Kiss: Psycho Circus: The Nightmare Child. In recent years, he had maintained a tense relationship with Gene Simmons, but the band remembered him as "an essential and irreplaceable part of our history."
The 1996 reunion also saw them perform in Italy
Tributes from across the rock world – from Mike McCready of Pearl Jam to Bret Michaels of Poison – have saluted the man and artist who inspired generations of musicians. "I never would have picked up a guitar without Ace and Kiss," McCready wrote.
Frehley is survived by his wife Jeanette and daughter Monique, but above all, a musical legacy destined never to fade.
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