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Pearl Jam<\/a> guitarist Mike McCready<\/a><\/strong> is among those mourning the loss of original KISS guitarist Ace Frehely<\/strong>, who died Thursday, Oct. 16<\/a> at the age of 74.<\/p>\n Frehley suffered a fall in the studio<\/a> in September, which resulted in a brain bleed and he was placed on life support<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfac <\/strong>SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox<\/strong><\/a> \ud83c\udfac<\/strong><\/p>\n McCready shared on his and Pearl Jam\u2019s official Instagram accounts a photo<\/a> of himself, Frehley and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder<\/a><\/strong> shot by photographer Danny Clinch<\/a><\/strong>. \u201cAce Frehley, Eddie, Me in awe\u2026,\u201d McCready captioned the photo, before adding a lengthy heartfelt tribute.<\/p>\n \u201cI heard about Ace Frehley\u2018s passing from Rick Friel<\/a><\/strong> who I played with in a band called Shadow. Rick was also the first guy on the bus in 1977 with a KISS lunchbox to tell me about Ace\u2026just changed my life. I got a guitar in 1978 to join Rick\u2018s band Warrior which turned into Shadow. We covered \u2018C\u2019mon and Love Me,\u2019\u201d he wrote, referring to the 1975 single featured on Dress to Kill, the third KISS studio album.<\/p>\n \u201cAll my friends have spent untold hours talking about KISS and buying KISS stuff. Ace was a hero of mine and also I would consider a friend. I studied his solos endlessly over the years\u2026,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cJust listen to \u2018Alive,\u2019 I used his solo from \u2018She\u2019 as a template. Ace jammed on \u2018Black Diamond\u2019<\/a> with Pearl Jam at Madison Square Garden\u2026a dream come true for me.<\/p>\n \u201cI would not have picked up a guitar without Ace and KISS\u2019s influence,\u201d McCready added before ending his tribute with, \u201cRIP it out Ace, you changed my life. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n Fans were there to comfort McCready for the loss of his guitar hero in the comment.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought of Mike immediately when I heard this sad news. RIP to a rock legend,\u201d wrote one.<\/p>\n \u201c3 of my heroes in one photo \u2665\ufe0f Endless love to Ace \u2665\ufe0f\u2665\ufe0f\u2665\ufe0f,\u201d added another.<\/p>\n \u201cI was at the MSG shows to catch Ace, but the much smaller crowd at The Borgata in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 2005- that was something I could only describe as electric. The original Spaceman from KISS on stage with Pearl Jam- in that tiny little room- they blew the roof off that place ! \ud83d\ude4c,\u201d added a third fan.<\/p>\n Others who have paid tribute to Frehley include his former KISS bandmates<\/a>Gene Simmons<\/strong> and Paul Stanley<\/strong>, and Tom Morello<\/a><\/strong> of Rage Against the Machine.<\/p>\n This story was originally reported by Parade<\/a> on Oct 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the News<\/a> section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n