KISS Frontman Gene Simmons Says Ace Frehley's Lifestyle Choices Contributed to Fatal Fall

Gene Simmons, co-founder and frontman of the iconic rock band KISS, has opened up about the death of former bandmate Ace Frehley, attributing the guitarist's fatal fall to a series of "bad decisions" and reflecting on what he wishes he had done differently in supporting his friends and colleagues.

Frehley, 74, died in October after suffering blunt-trauma injuries to his head following a fall at his home studio in Morristown, New Jersey.

The Morris County Medical Examiner confirmed the death was accidental.

Simmons, 76, told the New York Post that substance abuse may have contributed to the incident, though Frehley had been sober for 20 years prior.

"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 said. He added, "The saddest thing — you reap what you shall sow, unfortunately."

Simmons described attending Frehley's private funeral on Oct. 22 with fellow KISS members Paul Stanley and Peter Criss.

"It breaks my heart. Peter Criss, our founding drummer, Paul [Stanley] and myself went to the funeral, open casket," he said.

"It was just heartbreaking. 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."

Regrets and Reflections on Tough Love

Simmons also spoke candidly about the lessons learned from his relationships with both Frehley and Criss.

During the KISS Kruise in Las Vegas in November, he admitted, per PEOPLE, "If I have any regrets, my hand to God, it's that I sometimes — and I think we all go through this sometimes — wish we were smarter and better at trying to help Ace [Frehley] and Peter [Criss] have better lives."

He described moments when the band avoided confronting problems for convenience or comfort.

"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," Simmons said.

The singer reflected on the concept of "tough love," which he believes is essential for guiding loved ones.

"Tough love is a good idea in my opinion, with your children, with the people you love, with the people you care about, with the people you work with," he said.

"It's not going to be a popular thing, or you're going to argue about it, but in the long run you're going to be helping that person hopefully change their life."

Simmons explained this with a personal anecdote about helping his mother quit smoking, "She whacked me on the butt, but my mother quit smoking. And that's what it's about."

Tags

KISS, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley