W.A.S.P. leader Blackie Lawless recently criticized Gene Simmons for his comments following Ace Frehley’s death. He addressed the controversy in a statement shared on Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk.
Lawless expressed his disappointment with Simmons’ timing and approach when discussing Frehley’s passing and substance abuse issues.
“That upset me greatly because, hey, I understand that Ace aggravated him over the years. I get that. I was there and I saw both sides of the fence,” Lawless said.
He continued to criticize the timing of Simmons’ remarks about drug abuse prevention.
“But at the same time, if he wants to do a commercial for drug abuse, wait six months. Drugs are still gonna be a problem six months down the road. My friend’s body is still — [Ace’s] body’s not even cold yet and [Gene is] saying the things that he’s saying,” he stated.
Lawless emphasized his respect for Simmons while maintaining his criticism of the situation.
“I got great respect for Gene, but that was totally uncalled for. He did not need to do that. Like I said, drugs are still gonna be a problem six months down the road. If you wanna make a comment about it then, do it, but don’t do it about this. That was totally uncalled for,” he concluded.
The controversy stems from Simmons’ previous comments suggesting that Frehley’s death resulted from his own poor decisions. Simmons stated that “Ace refused advice from people that cared about him” and made “bad decisions” throughout his life.
The dispute between the two rock veterans highlights the complex relationships within the heavy metal community. It also underscores the sensitive nature of discussing a fellow musician’s death.
TMZ reported that Ace Frehley died on October 16, 2025, from blunt trauma to the head due to a fall. The Morris County Medical Examiner’s report confirmed this cause of death. The legendary KISS guitarist’s death marked the end of an era for rock music fans worldwide.
Frehley’s family had made the difficult decision to stop life support hours earlier after brain bleeding resulted from falls in his home studio on September 25 and down stairs on October 2. Wikipedia noted that Frehley was the original KISS guitarist known as the Spaceman. He had left the band in 1982 amid substance abuse and creative differences.
The guitarist’s departure from KISS decades earlier had been marked by tensions with his bandmates, particularly regarding his lifestyle choices and reliability issues. Despite these past conflicts, Frehley remained an influential figure in rock music. He was known for his aggressive, atmospheric, and melodic guitar playing style.
In a joint tribute with Paul Stanley following Frehley’s death, Simmons had called Frehley an “essential and irreplaceable rock soldier.” This makes his subsequent comments about the guitarist’s lifestyle choices all the more controversial in the eyes of critics like Lawless.
The incident underscores the ongoing debate within the music community about how to address substance abuse issues while respecting the memory of deceased artists and their families during times of grief.
