Ace Frehley, the lead guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Kiss, has died aged 74. The musician died on Thursday in a New Jersey hospital after suffering injuries from a fall in his recording studio last month, his family said.
Frehley, born Paul Daniel Frehley in New York City in 1951, co-founded Kiss in 1973 with Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss. Known as the Spaceman, he played on the band's first nine albums and was famous for his smoke-emitting guitar solos.
Following news of his death, Stanley and Simmons said in a joint statement: 'He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history.' Criss wrote on X: 'I'm shocked!!! My friend ... I love you!'
Frehley left Kiss in 1982, citing conflicts over the band's direction and struggles with substance abuse. He later formed Frehley's Comet and rejoined Kiss for a reunion tour from 1996 to 2002. In his later years, he had a public feud with Simmons over his departure.
Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready paid tribute, recalling how he first learned about Frehley at age 11 through a Kiss lunchbox.
