Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley dies at 74

American media reported that his family decided to disconnect the respirator that was keeping him alive, after the musician showed no improvement.

Mexico City, October 16 (However).- Ace Frehleyoriginal guitarist and founding member of the band Kissdied this Thursday at 74 yearsin Morristown, New Jersey, after several weeks hospitalized.

According to the specialized media TMZthe family of Frehley made the decision to turn off the life support to which he remained connected after he showed no improvement after a cerebral hemorrhagederived from a fall in his studio at the end of September.

“We are completely devastated and heartbroken. In his final moments, we were fortunate to surround him with words, thoughts, prayers and wishes of love, care and peace as he left this world. We cherish his fondest memories, his laughter, and celebrate the strength and kindness he provided to others. The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions and incomprehensible. As we reflect on all of his incredible accomplishments, Ace’s memory will live on! forever!” the family wrote in a statement.

In late September, Frehley canceled a concert at the Antelope Valley Fair in Lancaster, California, after suffering a minor fall in his studio that required hospitalization. Days later, on October 11, his team canceled the rest of his tour, due to “ongoing health issues.”

“Ace Frehley”:
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Paul Daniel Frehley was born on April 27, 1951 in New York and after struggling between athletics and rock during his youth, he decided to lean towards music, which led him to play in several bands in the late sixties and early seventies, without success, until he came across an ad in the Village Voice looking for a lead guitarist for “Flash and Ability. Album available soon.”

Frehley would recall in several interviews that, unable to pay for a taxi, it was his mother who took him to the rehearsal space of that nameless band in Queens, where – after several mockeries about his clothing – he managed to impress Simmons, Stanley and Peter Criss with whom he co-founded Kiss in 1973.

The band became a worldwide phenomenon, famous for their extravagant costumes and kabuki makeup, as well as their shows that included pyrotechnics, acrobatics, and Simmons’ infamous “fire-breathing.”

Although Frehley appeared on nine studio albums and two live albums, he left the band after eight years, but his legacy as Kiss’s iconic “Spaceman” lives on.