Rock legend Gene Simmons has issued emotional reflections following the death of former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley, suggesting that a string of “bad decisions” may have contributed to the tragic outcome.
Simmons spoke with the New York Post on Saturday, Dec. 6, when he spoke about his late friend.
Frehley, 74, died on October 16 after suffering a fall in his New Jersey home studio that resulted in a fatal brain bleed.
The Morris County medical examiner ruled the cause of death an accidental blunt-force injury to the head.
In the interview, Simmons — now 76 — acknowledged the loss as deeply painful.
He lamented that Frehley, despite repeated warnings from friends and bandmates, resisted efforts to make lifestyle changes.
“He refused [advice] from people that cared about him – including yours truly – to try to change his lifestyle. In and out of bad decisions,” he told the outlet. “Falling down the stairs — I’m not a doctor — doesn’t kill you. There may have been other issues, and it breaks my heart.”
Simmons admitted that, in retrospect, the surviving members of KISS wished they had done more to intervene. “If I have any regrets — my hand to God — it’s that I sometimes … wish we were smarter and better at trying to help Ace and [drummer] Peter Criss have better lives,” he said at a recent fan cruise in November, according to PEOPLE.
KISS Bandmates Reunited for His Memorial Service
Simmons described the band’s decision to attend Frehley’s private funeral on October 22 — a rare moment of unity after decades of tension — as both heartbreaking and sobering. “It breaks my heart,” Simmons to the Post. “It was just heartbreaking.”
SiriusXM host and longtime friend Eddie Trunk shared an Instagram post after the service.
“It has been an emotional couple of days to say the least, saying farewell to a rock icon and longtime friend,” Trunk wrote. “All of the services went as well as they could and were attended by a small group of family and close friends, including the three surviving original members of KISS.”
Meanwhile, tributes to Frehley continue to pour in.
Fellow musicians, fans and KISS bandmates have honored him as a foundational influence, praising his signature guitar style, charismatic stage presence and enduring impact on rock music.
Simmons Talks About KISS Receiving the Kennedy Center Honors
Simmons also noted one of the most painful losses: Frehley didn’t live to see KISS honored with the upcoming Kennedy Center Honors — an accolade long overdue, he said.
“Saddest of all perhaps is that Ace just couldn’t stay alive long enough to sit there proudly at the Kennedy Center and listen to – I can’t even tell you who’s going to come out … really impressive people, just to say how much KISS meant to them,” he added.
