Ace Frehley dead at 74: KISS icon passes away after family makes heartbreaking decision to pull life support

Daily Mail UK ^ | October 16, 2025 | T. Zeller

[Morgana]

KISS legend Ace Frehley has died at the age of 74 after suffering a devastating brain bleed that left him on life support.

After being hospitalized and placed on a ventilator, the iconic musician passed away Thursday when his family made the difficult decision to turn off life support, per TMZ.

The musician reportedly collapsed in his home studio a few weeks ago, hitting his head in a frightening fall that triggered the medical crisis, per the outlet.

Since then, his condition worsened, forcing the rock icon to cancel all remaining tour dates.

Sources close to Frehley said he had been on a ventilator for days, with doctors seeing little improvement before the heartbreaking decision.

Frehley — the Bronx-born guitarist who helped form KISS in 1973 alongside Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Peter Criss — played a pivotal role in shaping the band’s wild, face-painted legacy.

rehley was the guitar genius behind KISS classics like Detroit Rock City, I Was Made for Lovin’ You, and Rock and Roll All Nite.

After leaving the group in 1982, he launched Frehley’s Comet before reuniting with KISS for their blockbuster 1996 reunion tour.

He remained until 2002, continuing to perform and record solo in the years that followed.

[Red Badger]

KISS redefined the Rock and Roll Concert. I saw them in 1976 when they began coming to national prominence, just to see what the big deal was. I was astounded by their performance.

Up until them a rock concert just had guys performing their songs on stage and that was it, some colored lights and a backdrop of some sort maybe.

KISS put on a real show! They had a castle stage setup that extended into the audience and they would play while running around the castle parapets and stage.

After KISS, all other concerts were boring until they started copying their style..................