Gene Simmons needs to do better. He has a long habit of saying outlandish things, and that has served him well financially. How it makes him look as a human being, though, might be a different story. One of the founding members of KISS often goes too far.
He did so after Prince died from an accidental fentanyl overdose. The fentanyl was laced with some pain pills that the icon was using. Simmons initially wasn't kind when summarizing Prince's death, as Simmons said it was "pathetic" that Prince had killed himself. Of course, that was not the Purple One's intention.
Simmons later apologized, quite rightly, for the comments. He didn't learn his lesson about not speaking ill of the dead, however.
KISS' Gene Simmons apologizes for recent comments about Ace Frehley
Simmons was back to his old sad ways recently during an interview with the New York Post. The KISS legend was addressing the death of former bandmate Ace Frehley. Frehley, also a founding member of KISS but one who has not consistently played with the band over the decades, died in October from a fall in his home.
Simmons, though, implied that Frehley fell because he might have been on an illicit substance. There is no evidence of this. The toxicology report from the accident has yet to be released, and authorities originally ruled the fall an accident.
Speaking with the Post, Simmons said, He refused (advice) from people that cared about him – including yours truly – to try to change his lifestyle,” Simmons said. “In and out of bad decisions. Falling down the stairs — I’m not a doctor — doesn’t kill you. There may have been other issues, and it breaks my heart. The saddest thing – you reap what you shall sow, unfortunately."
Too harsh? Obviously. Gene Simmons couldn't have known if Ace Frehley had been using drugs, but he has since implied he was. Some people will have only seen Simmons' comments, never looked into what the actual truth was, and assumed Frehley died partly due to drugs. That might not be true.
Before his death, Frehley had stated he had been clean for more than a decade. There is no reason not to believe him. Simmons changed the narrative, and may have done so falsely.
Just as in the case with Price, however, Simmons has now apologized, though it is too late. He should never have said what he did.
On reflection, I was wrong for using the words I used. I humbly apologize. 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. Again, I apologize. I’ve always loved Ace. Always.
— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) December 10, 2025
On X, he wrote, "On reflection, I was wrong for using the words I used. I humbly apologize. 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. Again, I apologize. I’ve always loved Ace. Always."
Too bad Gene Simmons had to apologize. Hopefully, if there is a next time for the same situation, Simmons will not say anything he needs to apologize for.