Ace Frehley, the original lead guitarist for KISS and a key figure in shaping the band's sound—with his electrifying riffs and "Spaceman" persona—died Thursday. He was 74. Frehley's family said he died in Morristown, New Jersey, weeks after being injured in a fall in his studio, per the Hollywood Reporter. "He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history," bandmates Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons said in a joint statement, per the AP. "He is and will always be a part of KISS's legacy."
Born in the Bronx, Frehley took up the guitar as a teenager and joined KISS in 1972 alongside singer-guitarist Stanley, bassist Simmons, and drummer Peter Criss. Through the band's 1970s heydey, he became known for his technical skill and use of a unique, three-pickup Gibson Les Paul. Frehley's playing style influenced the development of hard rock and heavy metal—"inspiring an entire generation of musicians to pick up the instrument," Rolling Stone reports. He played on the band's first nine albums before leaving in 1982. Frehley returned for a 1998 reunion album, Psycho Circus, but left again in 2002, per the Reporter.
Frehley pursued a solo career, with his debut album going platinum in 1978. He also worked with his band Frehley's Comet. When every KISS member released a solo album on the same day in 1978, Frehley's reportedly sold the most, per Rolling Stone, on the strength of his cover of Russ Ballard's "New York Groove." The track became Frehley's signature song. In 2014, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of KISS. "My life has been a roller coaster ride," Frehley, who wrestled with drugs and alcohol, said in 2013, "but somehow I've always been able to land on my feet and still play the guitar."
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