Gene Simmons Apologizes for Recent Comments About KISS Bandmate Ace Frehley’s Death

Gene Simmons is walking back his comments about the death of his friend and KISS bandmate Ace Frehley.

After saying that the 74-year-old guitarist’s fatal fall down the stairs at home in October could be attributed to his “lifestyle” and “bad decisions,” in an interview with The New York Post Saturday, the KISS frontman, 76, took to social media with an apology.

“On reflection, I was wrong for using the words I used. I humbly apologize,” Simmons wrote. “My hand to God i didn’t intended to hurt Ace or his legacy but upon rereading my words, I see how it hurt everyone.”

He reiterated, “Again, I apologize,” before concluding, “I’ve always loved Ace. Always.”

Simmons previously told The Post that Frehley had “refused [advice] from people that cared about him,” to try to “change his lifestyle.”

“In and out of bad decisions,” the rocker continued. “Falling down the stairs — I’m not a doctor — doesn’t kill you. There may have been other issues, and it breaks my heart.”

He added, “The saddest thing – you reap what you shall sow, unfortunately,” referencing his late bandmate’s struggles with substance abuse. Frehley had publicly marked 18 years of sobriety in 2024.

Simmons also recalled attending Frehley’s “heartbreaking” funeral service, saying, “It breaks my heart. Peter Criss, our founding drummer, Paul [Stanley] and myself went to the funeral, open casket.”

Frehley died on Oct. 16 after sustaining a blunt force head injury after falling down the stairs that fractured his skull and led to a brain bleed and stroke. His death has been ruled accidental.

Last month, Simmons told PEOPLE that he had “regrets” that he had not helped bandmates Frehley and Criss “have better lives.”

“If I have any regrets, my hand to God, it’s that I sometimes — and I think we all go through this sometimes — wish we were smarter and better at trying to help Ace and Peter have better lives,” he said at the time, revealing that he often swept discussions of their “bad decisions” under the rug instead of practicing “tough love.”

“Tough love is a good idea in my opinion, with your children, with the people you love, with the people you care about, with the people you work with,” he continued. “It’s not going to be a popular thing or you’re going to argue about it, but in the long run, you’re going to be helping that person hopefully change their life.”