KISS founding member and guitarist Ace Frehley died at the age of 74 on October 16, after his family pulled him off live support, which medical professionals put him on following a fall in his studio
KISS guitarist Ace Frehley’s cause of death has been confirmed after his shocking passing last month.
According to the Morris County Medical Examiner’s Office in New Jersey, the rock star, who passed away at the age of 74 after being pulled off life support, died from blunt force trauma to the head.
The official report, per TMZ, states that Frehley, a founding member of the 50-year-old band and nicknamed The Starman, sustained a skull fracture at the back of his head, a subdural hematoma, a pool of blood formed between the brain and its protective outer layer, and a stroke. His manner of death has been classified as accidental.
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The musician was put on life support after he suffered a fall in his studio, which led to a brain bleed. According to the report, he underwent a failed procedure to evacuate the subdural hematoma.
Leading up to his death, Frehley canceled all remaining tour dates, which he described as “difficult” in an Instagram post to fans. First, a September 25 statement on his official Instagram page updated fans with, “He is fine, but against his wishes, his doctor insists that he refrain from travel at this time.”
A week later, a second statement was released, stating, “Due to some ongoing medical issues, Ace has made the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of his 2025 dates.”
Sources close to Frehley told TMZ that he had been on a ventilator for days, but doctors grew concerned when they saw little improvement before the decision to pull him off was made.
Frehley’s family issued a statement obtained by Rolling Stone, “We are completely devastated and heartbroken. 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.
“We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others. The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension.
The statement concluded, “Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever!” Frehley is survived by his daughter, Monique Frehley, and his ex-wife, Jeannette Trerotola.
In March 2025, Frehley spoke about his comeback following an arm injury in an interview with New Jersey newspaper The Aquarian (per TMZ). He said, “I just spoke to a psychic. She goes, ‘Ace, you’re going to live to be a hundred.’ So I said, ‘No problem!'”
The musician was a founding member of KISS with Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Peter Criss. He played guitar for the group from 1973 to 1982, but left the group amid creative differences and substance abuse issues.
Shortly after leaving KISS, Frehley began his solo career, founding the band Frehley’s Comet, which performed together from 1984 to 1988. The guitarist later rejoined KISS for their 1996 reunion tour, the Alive/Worldwide Tour, and remained with them until 2002. He also rejoined his bandmates for their End of the Road World Tour in 2023.
Frehley played on KISS hits including Rock and Roll All Nite, I Was Made for Lovin’ You, Love Gun, Detroit Rock City and more. His solo hits include New York Groove and Rip It Out.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.themirror.com ’
