# Ace Frehley (KISS) is on life support (has died, October 16, 2025) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [October 16, 2025, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037 "2025-10-16T22:12:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/1 "2025-10-16T22:12:04Z")
> **[KISS Guitarist Ace Frehley On Life Support With Brain Bleed](https://www.tmz.com/2025/10/16/kiss-guitarist-ace-frehley-life-support-brain-bleed/)** > > Ace Frehley, the original lead guitarist for KISS, is hospitalized on life support, and the prognosis is not good ... TMZ has learned. Original KISS lead guitarist is on life support after suffering a brain bleed after a fall in his studio a couple of weeks ago. > We’re told he’s been on a ventilator for some time, and hasn’t gotten better – so, his family is considering turning off support … perhaps as soon as Thursday evening. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/2 "2025-10-16T22:16:16Z")
Holy crap! They’re all in their 70s now, it’s crazy to think of that. I had to do a quick check to verify that Gene, Peter, and Paul are still with us according to online sources. Rest easy, Spaceman. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/3 "2025-10-16T22:26:22Z")
Official now: > **[Kiss Guitarist Ace Frehley Dead at 74](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/kiss-guitarist-ace-frehley-dead-1235448770/)** > > Ace Frehley, the Spaceman of Kiss who played with the group from their formation in 1973 until 1983, and then again in the Nineties, has died at 74. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/4 "2025-10-16T22:28:14Z")
A classic case of “I may never have been _in love with_ their music, but their place in the pantheon of Rock legends is pretty much indisputable.” RIP. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/5 "2025-10-16T22:35:28Z")
Loved him on the Halloween Tom Snyder show! Off to post link [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fwSClSe5uy8/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgWChNMA8=&rs=AOn4CLCn_z50uCdSRYRHzCbAkNC799qh5w "KISS - The Tom Snyder Show 10/31/1979 (Complete)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwSClSe5uy8) ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/6 "2025-10-16T22:35:54Z")
Rest in peace. This is the first member of KISS to die, right? Seems like a lot of rockers are going lately. Of course, we never thought a lot of them would last this long.😢 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/7 "2025-10-16T22:36:32Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Official now: Here’s a non-paywalled article. > **[Ace Frehley, Kiss Lead Guitarist and Solo Artist, Dies at 74](https://variety.com/2025/music/news/ace-frehley-kiss-lead-guitarist-dead-1236554943/)** > > Paul 'Ace' Frehley, lead guitarist and cofounder of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members Kiss, has died. He was 74. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/8 "2025-10-16T22:36:42Z")
@Johnny_L.A: You may want to report your OP to have the title updated in light of his death. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/9 "2025-10-16T22:38:12Z")
I was just doing that. And now it’s done. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/10 "2025-10-16T22:40:02Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > Rest in peace. This is the first member of KISS to die, right? The first original member. Eric Carr, who replaced Peter Criss as the drummer, died of cancer in 1991. I was never the biggest fan of Kiss, but I was always aware of them, and I must admit they had some rocking songs, and their influence is undeniable. Rest in peace, Space Ace. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/11 "2025-10-16T22:46:32Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Here’s a non-paywalled article. Huh? Since when is Rolling Stone paywalled for general news like this? I got no blocking popup or blurry text or anything, tho it is likely if they do have a p.w. that they have an X free articles thang going. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/12 "2025-10-16T22:52:16Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Huh? Since when is Rolling Stone paywalled for general news like this? It asks for an email but you can X out and read it. ---
**Author:** ![SwissMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@SwissMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwissMan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/13 "2025-10-16T22:53:27Z")
I enjoyed a fair amount of KISS music, even if they maybe weren’t my favorite (and I can barely stand to look at Gene Simmons; good lord, what a jerk that guy is). Listening to [Ace’s rendition of “New York Groove”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXeeY9D9u94) from his 1978 solo album as a tribute. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/14 "2025-10-16T22:53:42Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I got no blocking popup or blurry text or anything I did. I just clicked on it again, and it didn’t have the blocking popup or the blurred text… but the entirety of the visible article is ‘**[Ace Frehley](https://www.rollingstone.com/t/ace-frehley/)**, the wild Spaceman of **[Kiss](https://www.rollingstone.com/t/kiss/)** who played guitar in the band throughout their Seventies heyday and again during the reunion period in the Nineties, inspiring an entire generation of musicians to pick up the instrument along the way, died on Thursday in Morristown, New Jersey. He was 74.’ I copied it to post all that I could see, and it seems to have copied the whole article (ending with ‘My life has been a roller coaster ride, but somehow I’ve always been able to land on my feet and still play the guitar.’). > [@Atamasama](#): > > It asks for an email but you can X out and read it. It doesn’t ask me for an email, and there is nothing to X out of. Anyway, maybe there should be a separate threat about paywalls. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/15 "2025-10-16T22:54:03Z")
[Gene Simmons had a car accident Oct 8.](https://www.eonline.com/news/1423582/gene-simmons-kiss-rocker-hospitalized-after-car-crash) Now Ace Frehley passes away. The remaining band members must be getting worried. Time keeps marching on. I didn’t listen to their music. But, KISS was a big influence on bringing stage theatrics to rock. Their use of lighting and pyrotechnics was innovative. I regret not seeing a live show. RIP Ace ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/16 "2025-10-16T22:55:22Z")
I should probably go to the library and get his book again. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/17 "2025-10-16T22:58:47Z")
RIP, Ace! Never bought a KISS album or attended a show, but they were definitely a huge cultural influence when I was a teenager. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/18 "2025-10-16T22:59:37Z")
RIP, Spaceman 😪 A sad day for fans, that’s for sure. Especially bittersweet coming on the eve of the band receiving a Kennedy Center Honors lifetime achievement award. I was a fan in the early days, saw them on the Destroyer Tour, they really were the hottest band in the land in their heyday. He was the perfect guitarist for them, Others wore the make-up but no one could ever truly take his place. [![](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54859939455_819e8837cb_c.jpg) ](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54859939455_819e8837cb_c.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/19 "2025-10-16T23:03:43Z")
Of their four “solo” albums, I liked this song the most (as a New Yorker) https://www.youtube.com/embed/D_hvAp23sOk?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=RDD_hvAp23sOk ---
**Author:** ![Lurking\_Quahog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lurking_quahog/32/21274_2.png) [@Lurking\_Quahog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lurking_Quahog)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2025, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037/20 "2025-10-17T00:04:48Z")
Kiss was the first concert I ever attended at the Providence (RI) Civic Center. I was 13 and it was 1976 and it was awesome. Turns out his last show was also in Providence. I grew out of them but always had a soft spot in my heart for their classic era. RIP Ace! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ace-frehley-kiss-is-on-life-support-has-died-october-16-2025/1024037.md?page=2)