The Unique Guitar Blog: Ace Frehley - Kiss Guitarist Passed Away October 16th , 2025

Ace Frehley

Former KISS lead guitarist and vocalist Ace Frehley passed on at age 74 after sustaining a severe brain injury. He was in his home recording studio and fell down a flight of stairs. According to those present, this was the second time in two days that he had fallen down the same staircase. Frehley hit his head and was unresponsive.

He was airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in Morristown, New Jersey and placed on a ventilator. After being on life support and showing no improvement the effort was discontinued. Frehley was pronounced dead on October 16th of this year.

KISS

Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley was born on April 27th, 1951. He was the original lead guitarist with KISS from 1973 until his departure from the group in 1982. He rejoined Kiss in 1996 for a reunion tour.

Frehley's second tenure with Kiss lasted until 2002, when he left at the conclusion of what was originally purported to be the band's 2001 fairwell tour.

Ace Frehley Teen Years

Growing up Frehley had a troubled childhood and was expelled from multiple high schools before eventually dropping out altogether. During that time he also gained the nickname "Ace", due to friends believing he was "a real ace" with his ability to get dates with girls.

He received an electric guitar as a Christmas present in 1964, Paul immersed himself in learning the instrument.

"I never went to music school; I never took a guitar lesson, but everybody in my family plays an instrument. My mother and father both played piano, his father was the church organist, and my brother and sister both played piano and acoustic guitar."

Ace With His Zimgar Guitar

Like many 13-year-old kids from that era after learning to play guitar he immediately wanted to join a band. He was impressed by seeing groups such as The Who and Cream play in concert.

Ad For Guitarist

In December of 1972 Frehley responded to an advertisement in The Village Voice asking for additions for lead guitarists. He was hired by Gene Simmons and Peter Criss three weeks later. Kiss released their debut album, Kiss, in February 1974. KISS was unique in the use of make-up and anonymity.

The members each chose a persona. Ace was The Spaceman or Space-Ace, Paul Stanley was The Star Child, Gene Simmons was The Demon, and Peter Criss was Catman.

Frehley was credited for writing two songs, "Love Theme from KISS" (the only song co-written by the four original members) and a fan classic, "Cold Gin".

Shock Me

Due to Frehley's lack of confidence in his own singing voice Gene Simmons performed the vocals. Frehley wrote or co-wrote several of the band's songs over the next few years but did not record vocals on a song until "Shock Me" (inspired by his near-electrocution during a concert in Lakeland, Florida), which appeared on 1977's Love Gun. Frehley released an eponymous solo album in 1978.

His songwriting presence within the group increased in 1979. He contributed three songs for 1979's Dynasty and three for 1980's Unmasked. While this was not the most commercially successful time for Kiss in the United States, the band was beginning to take off in other countries.

Solo Career

By 1982, Frehley decided he wanted to leave the group. It was in 1984 that Frehley began his post-Kiss solo career by assembling a band which which released their first album, Frehley's Comet, on July 7, 1987.

1996 KISS Reunion Tour

In 1996, Frehley rejoined Kiss for a successful reunion tour, on which all four original members of the band performed live for the first time since original drummer Peter Criss' departure in 1980.

After the tour, they announced that the original lineup would return to the studio to record a new album. The resulting record called Psycho Circus.

2018 KISS Kruise

In October 2018, Frehley and Bruce Kulick reunited with Kiss on the Kiss Kruise. The six musicians performed "2,000 Man", "New York Groove", "Nothin' to Lose", and "Rock and Roll All Nite". This was the first time Frehley and the band had performed together since 2002.

In the June 2022 interview Simmons also discussed Frehley and Criss' health and a Kiss fan convention in May 2022, Nashville, Tennessee, called the "Creatures Fest".

Ace Frehley - 04/27/1951
to 10/16/2025

Frehley died in Morristown, New Jersey on October 16th, at the age of 74 several hours after life support was stopped. He is survived by his daughter, his wife, brother and sister.

Ace and Wife Jeanette 2014

Sadly Frehley left a mountain of debt due to foreclosure, unpaid IRS tax, and unresolved bankruptcy.

Monique and Ace

His daughter, Monique Frehley, expected to inherit her father's rock legacy — and $1 million in assets. But what she’s facing now is a financial storm even KISS fans didn’t see coming.

Rumors and probate filings hint at hundreds of thousands in unpaid taxes, bankruptcy residue, and a foreclosure from 2013 that never quite disappeared. Add in legal fees, tour cancellations, and lingering debts tied to licensing disputes — and Monique may be left with far less than she anticipated.

Ace Frehley 300 Prototype

Ace was well-known for his preference of Gibson Les Paul guitars. The Ace Frehley Gibson signature model 300 (released in 1997 and re-released in 2012).

Gibson 300

This guitar has three double-white DiMarzio humbucking pickups, a cherry sunburst finish (AAAA), a color image of Frehley's face in his Kiss make-up on the headstock, mother-of-pearl lightning bolt inlays, and Frehley's simulated signature on the 12th fret. A Custom Shop run of only 300 guitars were built with DiMarzio PAF, Super Distortion, and Dual Sound pickups.

Budokan Les Paul

The production run model was only built with DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups. This was one of Gibson's best selling artist runs. The more recent 2012 "Budokan" model, intended to pay tribute to the guitar used during the Kiss' first trip to Japan in 1977, features mother-of-pearl block inlays (no signature at the 12th fret), Grover machine heads with pearloid banjo buttons, and a grade A maple top.

Young Ace With Zim-Gar Guitar

His first guitar, which he received as a Christmas present, was probably a weird looking Zim-Gar. This was an imported brand made by Kawai of Japan that was imported by a Brooklyn broker named Larry Zimmerman.