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Gene Simmons has taken back the comments he made about former KISS bandmate Ace Frehley’s death, admitting he “was wrong” to make them.
The guitarist and founding member of the group died at 74 years old in Morristown, New Jersey, on October 16. A statement shared at the time revealed that Ace – also known as Spaceman – died “peacefully surrounded by family” following “a recent fall at his home”. An investigation was then launched into Frehley’s death, and the results of a medical examination have since been shared, ruling his death an accident.
Simmons’ controversial comments came when n Sunday (December 7), Donald Trump presented this year’s Kennedy Center honourees – among them KISS, Sylvester Stallone and Gloria Gaynor – with medals for their lifetime of contributions to American culture.
Ahead of the Kennedy Center Honors, where Frehley was inducted posthumously, Simmons told the New York Times that “bad decisions” led to his fatal fall, seemingly implying that substance abuse might have played a role.
“He refused [advice] from people that cared about him – including yours truly – to try to change his lifestyle,” he said. “In and out of bad decisions. Falling down the stairs — I’m not a doctor — doesn’t kill you. There may have been other issues, and it breaks my heart.
“The saddest thing – you reap what you shall sow unfortunately.”
Simmons has now apologised for what he said. Writing on X on Wednesday (December 10), he said: “On reflection, I was wrong for using the words I used. I humbly apologize. My hand to God I didn’t intended to hurt Ace or his legacy but upon rereading my words, I see how it hurt everyone. Again, I apologize. I’ve always loved Ace. Always.”
On reflection, I was wrong for using the words I used. I humbly apologize. My hand to God i didn’t intended to hurt Ace or his legacy but upon rereading my words, I see how it hurt everyone. Again, I apologize. I’ve always loved Ace. Always.
— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) December 10, 2025
Frehley and Simmons had a notably rocky relationship, with Simmons in 2019 claiming that Frehley was fired from the band for his substance abuse, while Ace argued that he was 12 years sober by then and quit “of my own free will, because you and Paul [Stanley] are control freaks, untrustworthy and were too difficult to work with”.
Last month (November 15), the surviving members of KISS paid homage to him during their first “unmasked” show since retiring from touring. Ahead of the show, electric candles were handed out to the audience, and upon taking the stage, Paul Stanley asked the crowd to lift them in the air and take a moment to “think about somebody who is at the foundation of this band”.
“We’re talking about Ace,” he said. “We certainly had differences, but that’s what family is about. Why don’t we take a moment [and] think about him looking down on us” from the fictional planet “Jendell, probably”, which Ace often referred to as his home. “Let’s have a moment for Ace.”
Following Frehley’s passing, a Change.org petition was launched in an effort to convince NASA to award the guitarist with honorary astronaut status. The petition – started by a fan named Kathryn – has since received over 3,000 signatures and counting.
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