Ace Frehley had quite the career. He was an excellent guitarist, maybe a bit underrated because the famous band he helped push into superstardom, KISS, was almost too showy. But there was a lot of substance, too, and Frehley provided that.
Unfortunately, Frehley died on October 16 at age 74. His death was a result of a fall he had in his home studio. According to the New Jersey Morris County Medical Examiner, the fall was ruled an accident, and the guitarist's death was due to him suffering a fractured skull, a subdural hematoma, and a stroke due to the injuries.
In the days after his death, his former bandmates with KISS, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss, mourned his death on social media. Many other musicians did the same. A private memorial service was held in Yonkers, New York, and a funeral service in The Bronx.
Former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley's cause of death revealed
KISS is also expected to honor Frehley as part of their event this weekend (November 14-16) called KISS Kruise: Landlocked in Vegas. Simmons and Stanley will be joined by the rest of the band's current lineup, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer. The entire event won't be about Frehley, but maybe the most important part will be.
Frehley had two stints with KISS. One from 1973-82 and one from 1996-2002. In total, he appeared on 10 of the band's studio albums and three live albums. He also made 10 studio albums as a solo performer or the lead in Frehley's Comet.
The guitarist also released an autobiography titled No Regrets: A Rock 'N' Roll Memoir in 2011. The book reached the New York Times non-fiction top ten upon its publication.
Among the musicians who honored Ace Frehley after his death on social media were Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush, the members of Pantera, and the members of Anthrax.
Frehley might have started as part of a glam hard rock band, but his influence and importance on music overall were immense.