Ace Frehley, the galvanizing guitarist who helped make Kiss one of the biggest rock groups of the 1970s and ’80s, died October 16 in Morristown, New Jersey. He was 74.
His family announced the death in a statement, noting that he had recently fallen at home. Frehley announced earlier this month that he was cancelling the rest of his 2025 tour dates because of “ongoing medical issues.”
An inspiration for guitarists from Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine to Slash of Guns N’ Roses, Frehley added a dose of blues riffage to Kiss’s theatrical, hard-charging style of rock. He leaned into the band’s pyrotechnics as well, launching smoke bombs and lasers from his Gibson Les Paul guitars. And he occasionally sang.
“A guitar player so incredible, his axe billowed smoke and shot rockets,” Mor