ICON RADIO REMEMBERS: Ace Frehley – The Spaceman Who Brought Fire to the Stars

ICON RADIO REMEMBERS: Ace Frehley – The Spaceman Who Brought Fire to the Stars  

Frehley passed away on October 16, 2025 and the world lost one of rock’s true cosmic pioneers. A guitarist whose tone, swagger, and sense of fun helped launch an era of larger-than-life music and mythmaking. Known to millions as “Space Ace,” the original lead guitarist of KISS was more than a performer in makeup and platform boots. He was the heart of the band’s electric energy, the man whose riffs could shake arenas and whose grin could ignite a crowd. 

Born Paul Daniel Frehley in the Bronx in 1951, Ace’s story was one of rebellion wrapped in rock and roll. A self-taught guitarist with a quick ear and a mischievous streak, he found solace in music as a teenager navigating the chaos of New York City in the 1960s. His influences — Hendrix, Beck, Page, and Buddy Guy — shaped his wild, expressive playing. But even in his earliest jam sessions, Ace had something no one could teach: feel. The kind that vibrated through his fingertips and out into the universe. 

Finding KISS and Creating a Legend 

In 1973, fate came calling literally in the form of a classified ad. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley were forming a new rock band with an image and attitude to match their ambition. Ace showed up to the audition wearing mismatched sneakers and plugged in his guitar. One solo later, the gig was his. With drummer Peter Criss rounding out the lineup, KISS was born. Four unknowns ready to conquer the world. 

When the band hit the stage in 1974 with their self-titled debut album, Frehley’s otherworldly guitar work set them apart. His leads were sharp, melodic, and instantly recognizable. Songs like “Cold Gin” and “Parasite” displayed his knack for writing riffs that were both heavy and infectious, while his fluid solos turned simple progressions into arena anthems. In a band full of strong personalities, Ace was the cool one. A space cowboy with a smirk and a Les Paul. 

The Spaceman Takes Flight 

It was Frehley’s signature song, “Shock Me,” that turned him into a fan favorite. Written after he was literally electrocuted on stage during a 1976 show in Florida, the track appeared on 1977’s Love Gun and marked his first lead vocal. The song crackled with humor and grit and proof that Ace could laugh at danger and make it sound like a party. 

Then came 1978’s New York Groove, his breakout solo hit from KISS’s simultaneous solo album releases. With its stomping beat and swaggering melody, the song captured everything that made Frehley magnetic: streetwise charm, musical confidence, and that unmistakable Bronx attitude. It reached the Top 20 on the Billboard charts and remains one of the defining anthems of the KISS universe. 

On stage, Ace turned performance into spectacle. His smoke-emitting Les Pauls, flashing light shows, and spontaneous bursts of fire became trademarks of KISS’s explosive live shows. Fans came for the theatrics, but they stayed for the tone. That cutting, slightly slurred sound that guitarists have spent decades trying to replicate. He made his instrument sing, snarl, and scream, all in one solo. 

Leaving KISS, Finding Himself 

By the early 1980s, the relentless pace of touring and the pressures of fame began to weigh on Frehley. After releasing Music from “The Elder” in 1981, an ambitious but divisive project, he left the band in 1982. For many, it marked the end of KISS’s classic era. But for Ace, it was a new beginning. 

In 1987, he returned with Frehley’s Comet, a project that combined his signature sound with a harder edge suited for the decade’s metal wave. The album’s lead single “Rock Soldiers” played like a confession and a comeback all at once: Ace confronting his demons and reclaiming his crown. Through the ups and downs of the 1990s, he continued recording, occasionally battling personal struggles but always finding redemption in music. 

The Return of the Spaceman 

In 1996, KISS reunited with its original lineup for one of the most successful tours in rock history. Ace’s return sent fans into orbit. Dressed once again in silver and black, he looked like no time had passed at all. The Alive/Worldwide tour grossed over $140 million and reignited global interest in the band. For millions, seeing the four original members together again with  makeup, pyrotechnics, and all, was like watching superheroes return to save the day. 

Frehley stayed with KISS until 2002, but his solo career remained vibrant. Albums like Anomaly (2009) and Space Invader (2014) proved his creativity was still burning bright. The Origins series in 2016 and 2020 celebrated his roots, paying homage to the artists who first lit his fuse. His final album, 10,000 Volts (2024), was a defiant statement — modern, muscular, and unmistakably Ace. He wasn’t chasing nostalgia. He was still blazing trails. 

Influence and Innovation 

Few guitarists have left as distinctive a mark on rock music as Ace Frehley. His phrasing, tone, and melodic sensibility influenced generations of players from Slash to Dimebag Darrell. Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready called him “a hero,” while Tom Morello described him as “my first guitar hero.” The reverence is easy to understand. Ace made the electric guitar seem like a living, breathing extension of himself — unpredictable, thrilling, and alive. 

Beyond technique, his true legacy was inspiration. Kids who saw him perform didn’t just want to play guitar; they wanted to be him. With his mirrored costume and cosmic charisma, he made rock feel limitless. KISS without Ace Frehley might have been loud, but it never quite reached the same stratosphere. 

His 2014 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside the original KISS lineup was a moment of poetic justice. As he stood on stage, smiling beneath the bright lights, the crowd roared for the man who had once been the wild card — the unpredictable genius who helped make KISS immortal. 

The Final Orbit 

Ace’s final years were surprisingly peaceful. He continued recording, performing at select shows, and spending time in Morristown, New Jersey, where he maintained a home studio. It was there, following complications from a fall, that he passed away at 74 — surrounded, fittingly, by guitars and amplifiers that had defined his life. 

His family described him as a “rock soldier” whose laughter and kindness filled every room. Friends remembered his quick wit and love for storytelling — a man who could make you laugh with a one-liner, then blow your mind with a guitar solo. Despite the legendary status, he never lost the Bronx kid inside him, the one who believed music could lift you higher than gravity allowed. 

The Man Behind the Makeup 

Underneath the silver paint and pyrotechnics was a musician with a big heart. Ace’s humor was self-deprecating, his smile disarming, and his loyalty fierce. He was known for signing autographs until every fan had one and for calling young guitarists “future rock stars.” He carried himself like someone who understood that fame was fleeting, but joy wasn’t. 

To the end, he lived with that sense of fun. Asked once what he wanted written on his tombstone, Ace laughed and said, “He finally made it back to space.” That cosmic wink summed him up perfectly — the guitarist who made the stars seem within reach, and who never stopped shooting for them. 

As Gene Simmons said in his tribute, “No one can touch Ace’s legacy. Long may it live on.” 

And it will — in every kid who plugs in a guitar, strikes an open A chord, and looks to the stars for inspiration.