The rock world is in deep mourning for Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley, who died on October 16th as a result of a fall in his home.
“We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley,” Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley said in a joint statement. “He was a vital and indispensable rock soldier during some of the most formative periods of the band's existence and history. He is and always will be part of the KISS legacy.”
Frehley was a member of Kiss from their earliest performances in 1973 until 1982, when he left due to substance abuse problems, musical differences and ongoing personal conflicts with Simmons and Stanley. He rejoined the group in 1996 for the band's triumphant reunion, but left again in 2002 after completing the band's first farewell tour.
The last time the original four members stood on stage together was when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, but they did not perform that evening. However, in 2018, Frehley performed four songs with the band's new lineup at the Kiss Kruise for Halloween. This was Frehley's last performance with the group. Earlier that year, Simmons and Frehley toured Australia together and ended each night by performing a pair of Kiss songs together.
Over the past two decades, Freeley has toured throughout America with his solo band, visiting theaters, casinos, clubs and fairs. His set largely focused on tunes from the Kiss catalog, but he still released a few solo masterpieces such as “Cherry Medicine,” “Rock Soldiers,” “Rip It Out” and his famous cover of Russ Ballard's “New York Groove.”
His last performance was on September 5, 2025 at the Uptown Theater in Providence, Rhode Island. Check out fan footage of the opening shows for “Deuce” and “New York Groove.” Like countless Kiss concerts before, the evening ended with “Rock and Roll All Nite.” “The next song, if you haven't heard it yet, you're probably an alien,” Freeley told the crowd, “because everyone has heard this song, even if you're not a Kiss fan or an Ace fan. Check it out.”
Later that month, Frehley canceled an appearance at the Antelope Valley Fair in Lancaster, California, after falling at his home, requiring a trip to the hospital. After about a month, he canceled all remaining dates due to “ongoing health issues.”
Kiss are planning to make their own first live performance following the conclusion of their 2023 farewell tour at the Kiss Kruise: Landlocked in Vegas event on the weekend of November 14th at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. The band hasn't revealed what exactly they'll be doing at the show, but they won't be wearing makeup and are promising acoustic and electric tunes.
Fans were hoping Frehley and Peter Criss would show up at the event and say goodbye to the world, something they were denied in the second farewell tour. Unfortunately, this is not possible now. But oddly enough, they will at least pay tribute to Frehley.
