KISS fans are still mourning the death of Ace Frehley, who passed away back in October at age 74. But frontman Gene Simmons didn’t hold back about the “bad decisions” that he thinks led to the musician’s death.
Simmons Alleged Frehley’s Death Was Related to Substance Abuse
Frehley died in October at 74 following a fall at his Morristown, N.J., home. In an interview with The New York Post published on Dec. 6, Simmons blamed Frehley’s alleged substance abuse for his sudden passing. The musician’s death was officially ruled an accident by Morristown’s medical examiner. Frehley suffered a skull fracture, a brain bleed, and a stroke due to the fall. He was initially placed on life support; but after undergoing an unsuccessful procedure, his family chose to withdraw treatment.
“He refused [advice] from people that cared about him—including yours truly—to try to change his lifestyle,” Simmons claimed. “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,” he continued. “The saddest thing—you reap what you shall sow, unfortunately.”
Frehley Previously Slammed Simmons Over Similar Remarks
However, Simmons’ remarks don’t align with public knowledge of Frehley, who had been sober for nearly 20 years before his death. In 2019, Frehley blasted Simmons in an online statement, accusing his bandmate of “slanderous remarks” concerning his previous substance abuse. “Your slanderous remarks about my bad habits over the years has [sic] cost me millions of dollars, and now that I’m over 12 years sober, you’re still saying I can’t be trusted to play a whole night’s show! Well, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing for the last 12 years with different configurations of The Ace Frehley Band, to you and Paul [Stanley]’s dismay!” Frehley wrote at the time.
Simmons’ remarks were published on the same day that he, Stanley, and Peter Criss, the band’s founding drummer, reunited to accept a Kennedy Center Honor. “Saddest of all, perhaps, is that Ace just couldn’t stay alive long enough to sit there proudly at the Kennedy Center and listen to—I can’t even tell you who’s going to come out…really impressive people, just to say how much KISS meant to them. What can you say—sad,” Simmons said.
