KISS frontman Gene Simmons blamed “bad decisions” for his friend and fellow bandmate Ace Frehley’s death.
The band’s co-founder condemned Frehley’s substance abuse he suggested was to blame for the guitarist’s fatal falldown the stairs in his Morristown, NJ, home studio.
“He refused [advice] from people that cared about him – including yours truly – to try to change his lifestyle. 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,” Simmons told The Poston Saturday.
“The saddest thing – you reap what you shall sow unfortunately,” the singer, 76, added, also referencing Frehley’s struggles with alcoholism. However, Frehley had been sober for 20 years before his death.
Simmons also opened up about the guitarist’s private funeral service on Oct. 22.
“It breaks my heart. Peter Criss, our founding drummer, Paul [Stanley] and myself went to the funeral, open casket,” he said, calling it “heartbreaking” and “sad.”
“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.”
The surviving KISS members — Simmons, Criss and Stanley — had a brief reunion as they went to Washington, DC, on Saturday to collect a Kennedy Center Honor.
Frehley died Oct. 16 at the age of 74 as a result of a blunt force head injurysustained in a fall.
His autopsy revealed that the musician suffered a skull fracture, a brain bleed and a stroke. He was placed on life supportand underwent an unsuccessful medical procedure before his family decided to withdraw life-sustaining treatment.
His death was ultimately ruled an accident.
After the family confirmed his death, his former KISS bandmates Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons told Page Six in a statement.
“We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley. He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history,” they said.
“He is and will always be a part of KISS’s legacy. Our thoughts are with [his estranged wife] Jeanette, [daughter] Monique and all those who loved him, including our fans around the world.”
Following the funeral, Simmons spoke to Peopleabout some of his “regrets,” which include being “smarter and better at trying to help Ace and Peter have better lives.”
He noted that the band members were “guilty” of not addressing issues to avoid any arguments, saying, “Let’s just continue doing the tour because you want to get through it for selfish reasons because it’s working, and the chicks, and the money, and you don’t want to ruin anything.”
“Meantime, somebody who might be your brother is ruining their life by bad decisions.”
Frehley played with KISS from its inception in 1973 until he left the band in 1982. He later rejoined the group in 1996 until his final departure in 2002.
If you or someone you care about is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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