Gene Simmons once again addressed Ace Frehley’s struggles with substance abuse and his eventual death during an interview on the Mohr Stories Podcast. This comes after the KISS frontman received significant backlash for previous comments about his former bandmate’s passing.
Simmons reflected on the turbulent history within KISS and Frehley’s ongoing battles with addiction throughout his career.
“Families have squabbles. Sometimes they don’t agree on stuff, sometimes they don’t talk to each other, but family is forever, and without Ace, and certainly without Peter, KISS wouldn’t have happened,” Simmons said. “There’s that chemistry thing. Despite the fact that they were in and out of the band three separate times, what I can say about Ace, whether you like it or not, is almost every guitar player out there grew up playing his licks.”
The bassist continued to describe Frehley’s struggles with substance abuse and its impact on his life.
“But what I’m getting at is despite the fame and the glory and the money and the chicks, all that stuff, there was something inside of Ace — originally it was alcohol — he just couldn’t stop,” he continued. “We all tried, and then it went on to this stuff and some of the heavier stuff, and he was just in and out of it, back and forth. And then he finally passed younger than I am. And maybe the only thing you can say is he lived his life his way all the way to the end, and people tried to either change him, but he was always Ace. And that’s the way he chose to live his life.”
When asked if he had been expecting the call about Ace’s death for a long time, Simmons confirmed his concerns about his former bandmate’s self-destructive behavior.
“Yes. When you see — when you witness, not see, when you’re in the company, when you witness self-destructive behavior, you start to imagine… I mean, there were so many car wrecks, so many — let’s just say lesser people would’ve died,” Simmons responded.
These latest comments follow previous statements from Simmons that drew criticism for suggesting Frehley’s death was due to his own mistakes. The controversy surrounding Simmons’ remarks highlights the ongoing tensions and complex relationships within the KISS family, even after the tragic loss of one of their founding members.
AOL reported that the Morris County Medical Examiner ruled Frehley’s death an accident caused by blunt-trauma injuries to the head from a fall. The official report noted multiple contusions, skull fractures and a subdural hematoma. A toxicology report was listed separately by the examiner’s office.
The circumstances leading to Frehley’s death were particularly tragic. Premier Guitar revealed that Frehley had been hospitalized after two falls at his New Jersey home in September and October 2025. He was taken off life support before he died on October 16, 2025, at age 74. His family said they were “completely devastated and heartbroken.”
Video footage from one of Frehley’s final performances showed the guitarist being escorted off stage due to heat exhaustion. Blabbermouth documented this incident. It occurred during what would become one of his last tour appearances, highlighting the physical challenges he faced in his final months.
Following the backlash from his initial comments, Simmons later apologized on social media for the wording of his earlier remarks. Blabbermouth noted that he wrote he “didn’t intend to hurt Ace or his legacy” and offered a humbling apology after seeing how his words affected fans and Frehley’s family.
The ongoing controversy demonstrates the delicate nature of public grieving and the responsibility that comes with speaking about deceased colleagues, particularly when substance abuse and personal struggles are involved.
