The three surviving founding members of the rock band KISS reunited earlier this week to lay their former guitarist, Ace Frehley, to rest in an intimate memorial service in the Bronx, New York.
Frehley, the group’s original guitarist, died October 16 at the age of 74. The month before his death, he suffered a fall at home, which reportedly left him on life support with a brain bleed. An exact cause of death has yet to be determined, though a toxicology report is currently underway.
On Wednesday, radio personality Eddie Trunk shared a picture of Frehley’s remembrance card in an Instagram post. In the caption, he said it had been an “emotional couple of days to say the least saying farewell to a rock icon and long time friend.”
He wrote that “all of the services went as well as they could” and were attended by “a small group of family and close friends,” including Frehley’s original KISS bandmates, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss.
“It was an honor to be invited to attend and participate and saw some old friends and made some new ones celebrating Ace. His family did give me the okay to pursue a tribute show / fan celebration at some point,” he continued.
“That’s something I feel, and many others feel, is deserved and should happen. There is nothing at all to share yet on this, but when there is you will for sure know about it. I think it’s important for Ace’s legacy, his fans, and the countless guitar players he influenced,” he added.
“Again when there is real news and a real plan on this I’ll let you know. For now crank up the music and remember and celebrate Ace for all he gave us and left us with.”
It has been over 10 years since Simmons, 76, Stanley, 73, Criss, 79, and Frehley’s last joint public appearance at their 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
The four-piece formed KISS in 1973. Between 1974 and 1975, they released three albums (Kiss, Hotter Than Hell and Dressed to Kill), which built a cult following of fans who called themselves the “Kiss Army.”
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Their mainstream commercial breakthrough came with their 1975 live album Alive!, which went platinum four times over and gave the band their first top 40 hit with the live version of previous single “Rock and Roll All Nite.” Frehley’s frenetic playing on Alive! would become a significant influence on a generation of young guitarists.
By 1978, all four band members released eponymous solo records, with Frehley’s becoming the biggest seller. In the early 1980s, Frehley found himself sidelined as Criss left the band and Stanley and Simmons formed a tighter unit. On the band’s 1982 “Creatures of the Night” tour, he was replaced by guitarist Vinnie Vincent.
Despite departing the group due to creative differences, Frehley and Criss rejoined KISS for a successful reunion tour from 1996 to 2002.
Frehley’s last performance with the band was at the closing ceremony for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
After his death, Stanley and Simmons released a joint statement. “We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley,” they said. “He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history. 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.”