Ace Frehley, original lead guitarist and founding member of the glam rock band KISS, sadly passed away on October 16 at 74 years old.
Frehley Surrounded by Love in Final Moments
Frehley’s family confirmed the news that he had been placed on life support after suffering a brain bleed. In a statement shared with Variety, they said:
“We are completely devastated and heartbroken. In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth. We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others. The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension. Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever!”
John 5 Shares Touching Words on His Close Friend
Current Mötley Crüe member John William Lowery, known by his stage name John 5, a longtime friend and collaborator of Frehley, dedicated a post to him on Instagram.
The caption reads:
“I am so shocked and saddened that this happened to my hero and my friend I’ve known Ace since 1988 and we’ve been very close ever since then. Ace changed the world. He influenced millions of people and changed my life. I will miss you my friend.”
John 5 is a guitarist famous for his work with major rock bands like Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson. He had collaborated on Frehley’s albums Origins Vol. 1 (2016) and Origins Vol. 2 (2020). For Origins Vol. 1, the musicians did a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Spanish Castle Magic” where Frehley was the lead artist and John 5 was a guest performer. On the same album, Frehley and John 5 worked covered the original KISS song “Parasite,” where John 5 plays guitar. John 5’s performance wowed Frehley. He stated in an interview with Rolling Stone, “he inspired me and obviously I inspire him. It was a lot of fun.”
This collaboration between the two rock legends began after they met during KISS’ 1996 reunion tour rehearsals. “He came to the rehearsal studio, and I met him there. We’ve been close friends ever since. He’s played on several of my albums. and he always does a great job. He’s really, really fast in the studio. Usually, most of his solos are first or second take. He can play all sorts of music – country, he can fingerpick and stuff. I never really got the hang of that,” said Frehley when speaking to Ultimate Classic Rock.
In an interview with Ultimate Guitar, John 5 spoke about Frehley being his inspiration to be a musician. When asked “who is your favorite Kiss guitarist, and why?” he answered:
“Well, I mean, I love Ace, of course. It’s just when you’re little and you see something, it could be a sports figure, it could be a race car driver or a hockey player, baseball or basketball. But mine was Kiss, and that’s what inspired me to do what I’m doing today.”
“And I’m glad because I think inspiration is one of the most important things in the world. Because it stays with you forever, and it can change your life forever, as well.”
Mick Mars is the founding guitarist for Motley Crue. Not John 5.