It’s hard to believe that just a few short months ago, we still lived in a world where all four original members of legendary rock outfits Black Sabbath and Kiss were all still walking the earth. Now that has obviously changed quite dramatically, first with the devastating loss of Ozzy Osbourne in July, and now the unmistakable original Kiss guitarist/co-founder Ace Frehley this past week on October 16.
Born Paul Daniel Frehley in The Bronx, New York on April 27, 1951, Frehley first picked up the guitar at the start of the British invasion in the early ’60s as so many of his fellow peers had done around this time. But aside from playing guitar, Frehley also found himself mixed up with rough gangs and earning the nickname “Ace” by the age of 13.
But music was his true calling, and after briefly serving as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix at age 18, he eventually found found his way to the band that would become Kiss in 1972, helping to create something the likes the world had never seen before by 1973, bringing to life the “Spaceman” persona in the band and even designing their now-classic “lightning bolt” logo that can seen in nearly every far corner of the world now.
The rest as they say, is KISStory, with Frehley going on to dominate the ’70s rock world with his bandmates Paul Stanely, Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss. Aside from their trademark makeup and infectious anthems, the group were also known for their theatrics, including Frehley’s oft-smoking guitars that he custom built himself.
But years of hard living took its toll, and by 1982, Frehley became the second original member of Kiss to exit the band. By the late ’80s he struck back hard, with a string of solo albums beginning with Frehley’s Comet in 1987.
After a period of dormancy, Frehley and his former Kiss bandmates took the world off guard when him and Criss made their first appearance with the band on stage in over a decade at an MTV Unplugged tapping in 1995. From then on, it was a full scale reunion, complete with makeup and costumes and all, that lasted into the early 2000’s.
I had really become a fan of Kiss in the early ’90s during the non-makeup years, and can vividly remember watching that MTV Unplugged episode when it first aired. I felt the same excitement that was in the audience that night, and couldn’t wait to see the band in concert (which I had just started going to around this time, staring with AC/DC in 1996).
But it would take a number of years before I would finally see Kiss live in 2012, but which point Frehley had been replaced by his fourth and final follow-up guitarist in the band, Tommy Thayer. But even without him there physically, his presence could still be heard and felt with each and every lick played that night.
Finally, in June of 2024, Ace was set to play at the Hard Rock Live nearby me in Orlando, FL, and I was determined to finally see him, despite it landing on a Friday and being extremely tired from a long day’s work beforehand. I brought my teenaged son Jacob with me, and for the first time ever he was able to hear the music of Kiss played live, with timeless tracks like “Detroit Rock City,” “Cold Gin,” “Shout It Out Loud,” and of course, “Rock n’ Roll All Nite,” all leading the charge (it’s a memory I hold dear now that I won’t soon forget).
Ace Frehley performing with his band at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, FL on 6/21/24 (Photo by Jesse Striewski).
When it was announced last week that Frehley had passed after suffering a fall that lead to a brain bleed, it hit me like a ton of bricks, as though a long lost uncle had left this world. And now after being put to rest this week, there’s a sense of finality that’s becoming more and more familiar with each legend we lose.
But no matter how much time might pass, the guitar riffs of Ace Frehley will continue to echo, with each and every guitarist out there he’s already influenced, and every up-and-coming musician that he will eventually leave a mark on for future generations to come. Rest in peace, Spaceman.
