Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
Fellow original Kiss members Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Peter Criss attended a private memorial service for Ace Frehley, on Tuesday in Yonkers, New York. The next day was Frehley‘s funeral, as reported by UCR. Frehley passed away on October 16 at the age of 74. Tampa Bay Music News received this information from a source.
On Tuesday in Yonkers, NY, the music world quietly gathered at the Sinatra Memorial Home on Yonkers Avenue to say goodbye to Paul Daniel “Ace” Frehley. The service was private, by invitation only, and not open to the public. Fortunately, I was able to speak at length with a longtime friend of Ace who attended the memorial, held on October 21 from 4 to 8 p.m.
He described the experience as “surreal.” About 75 people attended, mostly musicians who had played with Ace, recorded with him, or simply hung out with him over the years.
Peter Criss was sobbing. He and Ace were the best of friends. While Gene and Paul were the business guys, Ace and Peter were the rock ’n’ roll party boys. They were Kiss’s version of Aerosmith’s Toxic Twins.
Because the event was kept under wraps, many friends were disappointed they hadn’t known about it. When I asked why the service was held in Yonkers, my source explained, “Ace was a Yonkers resident back in the 1980s, living on Bronx River Road and later in other parts of Westchester before settling into his mansion in Connecticut. Ace was a regular at several local rock clubs, including The Crazy Horse in New Rochelle, which was owned by Vinny Pastore, who later became an actor after being encouraged by Larchmont natives Matt and Kevin Dillon, who also frequented the club.”
In his latter weeks, Frehley experienced health issues. After falling in his studio in late September, he had to cancel a show and was admitted to the hospital. Due to “ongoing medical issues,” Frehley canceled his remaining 2025 tour dates shortly after. According to reports, Frehley experienced a second, more serious fall following the one at his studio, which resulted in a brain bleed and his placement on life support.
In the last few days, fans and other rock musicians have paid many respects to Ace Frehley, the iconic guitarist for KISS, who died at home following a fall on October 16, 2025, at the age of 74. Vinnie Vincent, Frehley‘s original replacement in KISS, recently posted an emotional homage to Frehley that includes a memory of their first encounter, making it undoubtedly one of the most heartfelt so far. Vincent, who performed on “Creatures of the Night” in 1982 and “Lick It Up” in 1983, paid tribute to Frehley on social media on October 18, as reported by loudwire.
ACE FREHLEY. GONE TOO SOON. THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE. I WANTED TO SAY THE RIGHT WORDS THAT COULD DESCRIBE THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE but nothing I could muster would begin to comfort the millions of fans who idolized worshiped and adored Ace, the man and the legend, and make their pain go away.
Ace’s passing brought me back many long miles away to the beginning of my own journey, strangely replacing Ace in Kiss, a band who’s music i knew little about, aside from a few radio singles, and had no fan interest in, aside from the magnitude of their massive success, yet I wanted it more than life itself.
