Original KISS Guitarist Ace Frehley Reportedly on Life Support Following Brain Bleed

Former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley is reportedly on life support after a brain bleed caused by a fall in his studio.

UPDATE 9:31am AEDT 17/10/25: Ace Frehley’s family have released a statement confirming the KISS co-founder and rock legend has passed away at 74. Full details here. Original story continues below.

According to TMZ, original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley is hospitalised and on life support after suffering a brain bleed following a fall in his home studio earlier this month. The report states that Frehley, 74, has been on a ventilator for some time and that his condition has not improved. Sources told the outlet that his family is now considering ending life support, possibly as soon as Thursday evening (October 16).

Despite multiple social media rumours claiming Frehley has already died, TMZ reports that he remains on a ventilator as of Thursday afternoon in the US.

Ace Frehley’s recent health issues were first made public when he cancelled a string of 2025 tour dates earlier this month, citing ongoing medical problems. The cancellations came shortly after he pulled out of a scheduled performance at the Antelope Valley Fair in Lancaster, California, following what was initially described as a “minor fall” in his studio.

At the time, a message posted to Frehley’s official social media accounts read: “Dear Rock Soldiers, Ace had a minor fall in his studio, resulting in a trip to the hospital. He is fine, but against his wishes, his doctor insists that he refrain from travel at this time.” Two weeks later, Frehley’s team announced that the rest of his tour dates were cancelled to allow him to recover fully.

Ace Frehley co-founded KISS in 1973 alongside Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss. He played lead guitar on the band’s first nine albums before leaving in 1982. Frehley later returned in 1996 for the band’s reunion tour and remained with KISS until 2002. Since then, Tommy Thayer has taken over Frehley’s role as the Spaceman.

Outside of KISS, Frehley has built one of the most successful solo careers among the band’s original members, releasing eight solo albums, including his most recent, 10,000 Volts, in 2024. Before his hospitalisation, Frehley had been working on Origins Vol. 3, the third installment in his series of albums revisiting songs that inspired his career.

As of now, there has been no official statement from Frehley’s representatives regarding his current condition.