KISS co-founder Gene Simmons has opened up about the deep emotional pain he experienced after the death and funeral of longtime bandmate Ace Frehley, describing the moment he saw Frehley in an open casket as profoundly difficult to bear.
The comments came during a recent appearance on the Mohr Stories podcast with host Jay Mohr, where Simmons was asked about how he found out about Frehley’s passing and what it was like to attend his funeral. Frehley, a founding guitarist of KISS and a key figure in the band’s rise to global fame in the 1970s, died on October 16, 2025 at age 74 following complications from a fall at his home in Morristown, New Jersey. The death was ruled accidental by local authorities.
“It breaks my heart,” Simmons said of seeing Frehley laid out for the funeral in New York. “We were right there… and Ace looked like he was gonna go, ‘Oh, just kidding,’ and get up.” He added that the experience was simply “too much” and that he had to keep his head down during the viewing.
Simmons detailed learning of Frehley’s passing via a text message from Gigi Criss, the wife of KISS’s original drummer Peter Criss, while he was in California. The surviving KISS members — Simmons, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss — subsequently traveled to New York for both the wake and the funeral.
In his remarks, Simmons acknowledged Frehley’s enduring influence on rock music and his instrumental role in KISS’s early success. He noted that countless guitarists across genres grew up playing Frehley’s licks, with prominent rock players such as Kirk Hammett of Metallica and Mike McCready of Pearl Jam citing their admiration — and even admitting to copying his solos “note for note.”
Despite the fame, theatrics and spectacle that surrounded KISS throughout their career, Simmons also reflected on the human side of his bandmate:
“There was something inside of Ace — originally it was alcohol — he just couldn’t stop… and then it went on to this stuff and some of the heavier stuff,” Simmons said, noting the struggles Frehley faced over the years.
In a separate interview earlier in December, Simmons had made controversial comments suggesting a series of “bad decisions” may have contributed to Frehley’s decline, remarks that drew criticism from fans and commentators. Shortly afterward, Simmons issued a public apology, saying he did not intend to hurt Frehley’s legacy and that he “always loved Ace.”
The bassist also expressed personal regret that Frehley did not live long enough to be present when KISS received the prestigious 2025 Kennedy Center Honors, which acknowledged the band’s cultural impact. Simmons said it was especially poignant knowing an empty seat would symbolically represent Frehley’s absence during that celebration of their legacy.
“Saddest of all perhaps is that Ace just couldn’t stay alive long enough to sit there proudly at the Kennedy Center… to say how much KISS meant to them,” Simmons reflected.
Simmons also talked about the difficulty of witnessing longtime self-destructive behavior in someone he cared about — a theme that underscored his emotional response to Frehley’s death.
Ace Frehley’s influence on rock — both as a co-founder of one of the genre’s most iconic bands and as a solo artist — remains profound. His contributions to KISS’s classic albums and his distinctive guitar style helped shape the sound of hard rock for generations. As fans and fellow musicians continue to reflect on his life and music, Simmons’ candid and heartfelt reflections offer a glimpse into the personal sense of loss that often lies behind the public headlines.
