KISS returned to the stage this weekend for the first time since the sudden loss of founding guitarist Ace Frehley, last month, at age 74.
While performing their three-day KISS Kruise: Landlocked event in Las Vegas this weekend, frontman Paul Stanley took a moment to acknowledge the late musician’s profound impact on the band’s legacy.
‘Obviously, before we get going, and we’re going to have an awesome time, we just wanted to take a moment to think about somebody who was at the foundation of this band, and we’re talking about Ace,’ Stanley told the audience. ‘We certainly had differences, but that’s what family is about.’
According to People, the next evening, Stanley, 73, along with Gene Simmons, Eric Singer, and Tommy Thayer, referenced Frehley ‘only briefly’ while recalling a recording session from the 1970s.
Thayer, 65, also lifted his hand toward the sky before launching into a guitar solo.
Across the weekend, fans repeatedly erupted into chants of ‘Ace, Ace, Ace,’ including during a moment led by opening act Sebastian Bach on Saturday, November 15.
KISS returned to the stage this weekend for the first time since the sudden loss of founding guitarist Ace Frehley , last month, at age 74 (Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley seen in 2019)
Frehley’s cause of death was confirmed, last week, as blunt force trauma to the head caused by a fall. Officials classified the manner of death as accidental.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer reportedly collapsed in his home studio, striking his head in a severe fall that triggered the medical crisis.
His representative, Lori Lousararian, told Rolling Stone that Frehley’s condition worsened after a ‘recent fall at his home.’
In the days before his death, the guitarist canceled all remaining tour dates, a move he described as ‘difficult’ in an Instagram update to fans.
Sources close to the musician told TMZ that he had been placed on a ventilator for several days, with doctors seeing minimal improvement before the devastating decision was made to withdraw life support.
‘Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever!’ a statement shared after his passing read.
Frehley, the first of KISS’s original four members to die, co-founded the band in 1973 alongside Stanley, Simmons and drummer Peter Criss.
The group, inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, became synonymous with bombastic costumes, face paint, towering platform boots, and explosive pyrotechnics.
Their catalogue of classics includes Detroit Rock City, I Was Made for Lovin’ You, and Rock and Roll All Nite.
While performing their three-day KISS Kruise: Landlocked event in Las Vegas, frontman Paul Stanley took a moment to acknowledge the late musician’s profound impact on the band’s legacy; seen in Ace Frehley
‘Before we get going, and we’re going to have an awesome time, we just wanted to take a moment to think about somebody who was at the foundation of this band, and we’re talking about Ace,’ Stanley told the audience
Frehley was a trailblazer in rock theatrics, pioneering guitars that glowed, emitted smoke, and even launched rockets, innovations that countless musicians later adopted to elevate their own stage shows.
Frehley’s family shared a statement with Rolling Stone expressing their devastation and gratitude that they were able to be by his side at the end.
‘We are completely devastated and heartbroken,’ the statement read. ‘In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth.’
They honored his ‘finest memories, his laughter,’ and his ‘strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others,’ adding: ‘The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension.’
Frehley’s cause of death was confirmed, last week, as blunt force trauma to the head caused by a fall. Officials classified the manner of death as accidental; pictured in 2016
After departing KISS in 1982, Frehley launched his band Frehley’s Comet before rejoining KISS for their blockbuster 1996 reunion tour. He remained with the group until 2002 and continued to record and tour as a solo artist.
In April 2024, he told Antihero that he was proud of forging his own path outside the band.
‘Out of the four founding members of Kiss, I definitely have been the most successful solo artist,’ he said, a boast backed by his enduring 1978 hit New York Groove.
He also spoke about the scale of his influence.
‘I have to say, almost every guitar player I meet, at least 75 percent, if not more, say to me, “I picked up the guitar because of you. When I heard Alive! that was it, I decided to pick up a guitar and start learning your songs,”‘ he said.
Stanley and Simmons issued a joint tribute to The Hollywood Reporter, saying they were ‘devastated’ by Frehley’s death (seen in 2022)
‘That’s going to be pretty much my legacy, that I was able to make the transition from a supergroup like Kiss to being a successful solo artist.’
Stanley and Simmons issued a joint tribute to The Hollywood Reporter, saying they were ‘devastated’ by Frehley’s death.
They called him ‘an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history.’
‘He is and will always be a part of KISS’s legacy,’ they wrote, sending their condolences to his partner Jeanette, daughter Monique, and fans worldwide.
