Alice Cooper is honoring guitar pioneer Ace Frehley, calling him a “hero” amid his passing. The KISS guitarist died on October 16 at the age of 74.
In a statement shared by his family, Ace – also known as Spaceman – died “peacefully surrounded by family in Morristown, New Jersey, following a recent fall at his home.” The rocker died due to a brain bleed (intracranial hemorrhage) resulting from a fall.
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Ace was a pioneer, helping to pen KISS classics like “I Was Made For Lovin’ You,” “Rock And Roll All Nite,” and “Detroit Rock City.” His former bandmates Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley called him “an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history”.
Cooper echoed similar sentiments, writing, “The worst part of being in rock ‘n’ roll at this point is the fact that some of our fraternity have just reached that age where… they leave the planet,” he said. “Some of the guys that started 30, 40, 50 years ago are starting to go, and of course Ace Frehley from KISS, one of the pioneers – one of the great guitar players out there.”
He added: “Ace was an absolute Guitar hero to so many people. I did more tours with him than anybody else, as far as opening for us, for quite a long time, so we became quite good friends. And you know, he always brought it every night. He did it every night. And it’s just hard to see somebody like that go. We know that right now that the KISS fans are certainly in mourning and certainly his family and certainly everybody that knew him. Ace was an ACE.”
Ace co-founded KISS in 1973 with singer Stanley, bassist and part-time singer Simmons and drummer Peter Criss. The members’ identities were kept secret for over a decade. Ace left the band to pursue a solo career and infighting within the group. He also dealt with substance abuse.
After his exit from KISS, he formed a new band, Frehley’s Comet. They released two albums but didn’t measure up to the same commercial success as KISS.
He rejoined KISS for their reunion in 1996 and stayed with them until 2002. Ace did not participate in their 2022 tour.
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