Rock and roll icon Ace Frehley’s cause of death has been revealed, weeks after his family made the devastating decision to take him off a ventilator.
According to the Morris County Medical Examiner’s Office in New Jersey, the original lead guitarist and co-founder of KISS died from blunt force trauma to the head following a fall at age 73.
The official report, per TMZ, states that he sustained a skull fracture at the back of his head, a subdural hematoma, a pool of blood between the brain and its outer protective layer, and a stroke.
His death has been classified as accidental.
Frehley, known to generations of fans as KISS’s Spaceman, helped define the band’s signature sound and larger-than-life persona during the 1970s, leaving behind an indelible mark on rock history.
The update comes weeks after the musician reportedly collapsed in his home studio, hitting his head in a frightening fall that triggered the medical crisis.
Rock and roll icon Ace Frehley’s cause of death has been revealed, weeks after his family made the devastating decision to take him off a ventilator (pictured 2018 in NYC)
Frehley’s rep Lori Lousararian told Rolling Stone that the musician’s health deteriorated following a ‘recent fall at his home.’
In the days leading up to his death, Frehley canceled all remaining tour dates – a decision he called ‘difficult’ in an Instagram post to fans.
Sources close to Frehley told TMZ that he had been on a ventilator for days, with doctors seeing little improvement before the heartbreaking decision was made.
Frehley’s family issued a statement obtained by Rolling Stone saying they ‘are completely devastated and heartbroken’ by his passing, but relieved they were able to provide him with comfortable conditions at the end.
‘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,’ Frehley’s family said.
Frehley’s family honored the musicians legacy as well as ‘his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others’.
They continued: ‘The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension.
‘Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever!’
According to the Morris County Medical Examiner’s Office in New Jersey, the original lead guitarist and co-founder of KISS died from blunt force trauma to the head following a fall at age 73 (seen in 1975)
Frehley is the first member of the original four members of Kiss to pass away. The original lineup consisted of him, singer/guitarist Paul Stanley, bass player Gene Simmons and drummer Peter Criss.
The musical ensemble, which formed in 1973, in 2014 was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Frehley played a pivotal role in shaping the band’s wild, face-painted legacy, bringing essential elements of showmanship to KISS’s act.
The band famously blended hard rock anthems – such as Detroit Rock City, I Was Made for Lovin’ You, and Rock and Roll All Nite – with elaborate costumes, wigs, platform boots and over-the-top pyrotechnics.
Frehley was one of the first performers to introduce to the stage guitars that glowed, emit smoke and shot rockets, with many in the industry following his lead in enhancing their instruments to give fans another element of the show to look forward to.
The official report states that he sustained a skull fracture at the back of his head, a subdural hematoma, a pool of blood between the brain and its outer protective layer, and a stroke; seen in 2016
After leaving the group in 1982, he launched Frehley’s Comet before reuniting with KISS for their blockbuster 1996 reunion tour.
He remained active in the band until 2002, continuing to perform and record solo in the years that followed.
Frehley told the website Antihero in April of 2024 that he was proud of carving his own niche as a singles artist as well as being part of the band.
‘Out of the four founding members of Kiss, I definitely have been the most successful solo artist,’ he said, a claim backed up by his 1978 hit New York Groove.
Frehley said that he was also very proud to be influential in his industry, a claim clearly backed up by the influx of memorials crediting him for his ingenuity.
‘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.
Said Frehley: ‘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.’
(L-R) Gene Simmons, Peter Criss (bottom), Ace Frehley (top), Paul Stanley posed in a KISS group shot in 1975; Stanley and Simmons said they were ‘devastated’ by Frehley’s death
Rumors rippled through the rock world that Frehley had passed after veteran music journalist Mitch Lafon tweeted, ‘Ace, Thank you for the music & memories God bless.’
A slew of memorials followed, led by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons.
The KISS tandem said they were ‘devastated’ by Fraley’s death in a joint statement submit to The Hollywood Reporter.
Stanley and Simmon called Frehley ‘an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history.’
The iconic pair continued: ‘He is and will always be a part of KISS’s legacy. [Our] thoughts are with Jeanette, Monique and all those who loved him, including our fans around the world.’
