Ace Frehley,โฃ founding โฃlead guitarist โof the iconic rock band Kiss, has โdied.โ He was โ78. News of โฃhis passing emerged on October 17,2024,following a reported battle with complications from full-body cancer.
Frehley’s death โmarks the endโ of anโ era for Kiss and the broader rock community, leaving a void for fans whoโ cherished โhis innovative guitar work and stage persona.Asโ a key architect of Kiss’s โsignature sound โฃand image, โฃhis contributions wereโ instrumental in the band’s rise to global superstardom. The future of Kiss, already navigating performancesโ without original members, is now further complicated by โขthe loss of another foundational figure.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Frehley received an electric โฃguitar as a Christmasโ gift at age 13, โsparking a lifelong passionโ for music he pursued through self-teaching. While attendingโฃ high school, โขhe โearned the nickname “Ace,” โreportedly โฃdue to his popularity with female students.
Afterโ graduating, Frehley held various jobs, includingโ working as aโ taxi driver, before responding to a โnewspaper advertisement in โlate 1972. The โad led him โฃto an audition with a band then comprised of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss -โฃ a group that would soon become known worldwideโ as Kiss.