Gene Simmons shared an old video of late KISS guitarist Ace Frehley on social media, in which Frehley explained why he left the band, but fans criticized Simmons for bringing up the issue after Frehley’s death, telling him to let the matter rest on X.
Simmons posted the video alongside a caption. Frehley had previously described the struggles that led to his departure from KISS, focusing on his personal difficulties at the time.
In the old video, Ace Frehley explained his reasons for leaving: “I was going through a lot of personal problems and, you know, I really felt that if I didn’t leave the group, I was gonna kill myself. I just felt like I wasn’t going to make it. I was abusing chemicals and alcohol, and my mind was like, ‘I gotta get away from this whole thing.’ I just felt like I was going on a downward spiral and I needed a break.”
Several fans responded to Simmons’ post with frustration. One wrote: “Why rehash this, Gene? I think you need to let Ace rest in peace and move on from this.”
Another fan added: “Why dwell on the past once again Gene? Is Ace’s ghost hunting you? WHY not say nice positive things about Ace instead?”
A third commenter said: “At this point, everyone knows why he left. What’s the point in bringing it up…again?”
Simmons’ decision to share the video sparked debate among fans who felt the post was unnecessary given Frehley’s recent death. The criticism reflected a desire from KISS fans to see the band move forward and remember Frehley positively.
The dispute between Simmons and Frehley over the guitarist’s departures from KISS spanned decades. Frehley left the band in 1982, saying the success of his 1978 solo album made him realize he was more creative away from the other members. After reuniting for the band’s 1995 MTV Unplugged performance, the original lineup regrouped the following year, but Frehley left again after performing at the closing ceremony for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake, Utah.
In 2019, Simmons told Guitar World that Frehley and drummer Peter Criss had exited KISS three times partly because they “weren’t carrying their load” and weren’t dependable onstage. Frehley responded by calling Simmons and Paul Stanley “control freaks, untrustworthy and… too difficult to work with.” That same year, Frehley blasted Simmons in an online statement, accusing his bandmate of making “slanderous remarks” about his previous substance abuse.
Frehley died in Morristown, New Jersey, at the age of 74 in October 2025, following an accidental fall that caused blunt trauma injuries to his head. Despite the long conflict, Simmons and Stanley wrote in a joint statement after his death: “I am 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.” Frehley’s family and friends celebrated his life during an intimate ceremony in the Bronx, which was attended by his KISS co-founders Simmons, Stanley, and Criss.
