Ace Frehley, Kiss’s original lead guitarist and founding member, dead at 74

Ace Frehley, the original lead guitarist and founding member of the glam rock band Kiss who charmed audiences with his elaborate makeup and smoky guitar, died Thursday. He was 74.

Fraley died peacefully surrounded by family in Morristown, New Jersey, after a recent fall, his agent said.

Family members said in a statement that they were “completely devastated and heartbroken” but would appreciate his laughter and celebrate the kindness he showed others.

Kiss, whose hits included Rock 'n' roll all night And I was made to love youwas known for its theatrical performances featuring fireworks, smoking instruments and fake blood pouring from the mouths of band members wearing body armor, platform boots, wigs and signature black and white face paint.

The original Kiss lineup included Frehley, singer-guitarist Paul Stanley, bassist Gene Simmons and drummer Peter Criss. The band members adopted comic book-style characters – Frehley was known as “Space Ace” and “Cosmonaut”. The New York-born artist often experimented with pyrotechnics, making his guitars glow, emit smoke, and shoot rockets from the neck.

“We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley,” Simmons and Stanley said in a joint statement. “He was a vital and indispensable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history. He is and always will be part of the Kiss legacy.”

Frehley and his bandmates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.

As the new chairman of the Kennedy Center, US President Donald Trump named Kiss one of this year's honorees.

Fraley's death is the first among the four founding members.

The group was extremely popular, especially in the mid-1970s, selling tens of millions of albums and licensing their iconic image to sell a variety of products. “Beth” became his biggest commercial hit in the US, peaking at number 7 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1976.

Frehley left the group in 1982, missing years in which they took off their makeup and had mixed success. He performed both solo and with his band Frehley's Comet.

But he returned to Kiss in the mid-1990s for a triumphant reunion and restoration of their original style, which came after bands such as Nirvana, Weezer and Melvins expressed their affection for the group and paid tribute to them.