Some of the biggest names in guitar have paid tribute to Ace Frehley, the former Kiss guitarist who died yesterday, aged 74.
His former bandmates, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, led the tributes to the Spaceman, describing him as an “essential and irreplaceable rock soldier” during Kiss’ formation and rise to the top.
“We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley,” reads a statement from the band. “He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history. He is and will always be a part of Kiss’ legacy. Our thoughts are with Jeanette, Monique and all those who loved him, including our fans around the world.”
Social media is all pictures of Frehley with his warpaint on, the Spaceman in his pomp, with those huge armored shoulders, always a Gibson Les Paul in hand, and, on occasion, with fireworks shooting out of it, oftentimes with smoke billowing out of the pickups.
Frehley was not one to undercook a Kiss performance. Steve Vai posted a picture of Frehley to Instagram that made it look as though the Spaceman had harnessed the power of the sun in his neck pickup – an unearthly magic trick from an unearthly player.
“Ace Frehley was the embodiment of rock ’n’ roll attitude – unapologetic, loud, and irresistibly catchy. His riffs had swagger, his tone had bite, and his presence lit up stages like a supernova,” writes Vai. “During my teenage years, his playing inspired me not because it was polished, but because it was gloriously unfiltered and full of life.
“Ace reminded us all that rock should never apologize for being fun and that a little chaos can sound downright heavenly. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and fans. The Spaceman has left the stage, but his orbit will shine forever.”
The tributes kept coming, from Yngwie Malmsteen, from Arve Isdal of Enslaved, from ex-Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Jason Hook, from Zakk Wylde, Municipal Waste’s Ryan Waste, Gary Holt of Exodus/Slayer, and Gibson’s Mark Agnesi and Cesar Gueikian.
They came from DiMarzio, too, the long-time electric guitar pickup brand of choice for Frehley.
The tributes came from fellow rock legends in their droves. “Hard to believe and process this devastating news today,” writes Slash. “Ace I will miss you. and millions more will too. RIP my friend. One of the true great rock ’n’ roll guitarists, the Spaceman has left the planet.”
Millions is the word that crops up time and time again. John 5 knows. He was one of those millions. The Mötley Crüe guitarist says he is “shocked and saddened” by Frehley’s passing. Frehley was first his hero, then a close friend whom he has known since 1988. “Ace changed the world,” he writes. “He influenced millions of people and changed my life. I will miss you my friend.”
Alice Cooper was close to Frehley, too. He describes Frehley as a one of the greats, and a “pioneer”.
“The worst part of being in rock ‘n’ roll at this point is the fact that some of our fraternity have just reached that age where they’ve… they leave the planet,” writers Cooper. “Some of the guys that started 30, 40, 50 years ago are starting to go, and of course Ace Frehley from Kiss, one of the pioneers – one of the great guitar players out there… Ace was an absolute guitar hero to so many people.
“I did more tours with him than anybody else, as far as opening for us, for quite a long time so… we became quite good friends. And you know he always brought it every night… He did it every night. And… it’s just hard to see somebody like that go. We know that right now that the Kiss fans are certainly in mourning and certainly his family and certainly everybody that knew him. Ace was an ACE”
Joe Elliott of Def Leppard reminds us that Frehley’s 1978 solo album remains essential listening, and is part of the official Kiss canon. The Spaceman made Hello’s New York Groove his own.
“Sad news about Ace, he was long gone when we got to know the Kiss guys but he left his mark on their music,” writes Elliott. “His first solo album made waves too, Fractured Mirror is a great instrumental and his New York Groove hit the spot more so than any other version of that song. RIP Spaceman.”
Alex Skolnick notes that not all guitar players shared his generation’s enthusiasm for Frehley. When Guitar Player put Frehley on the cover, people actually wrote in to complain, as though he didn’t pass the virtuosity test.
Posting a picture of Guitar Player’s January 1979 cover to Instagram, Skolnick says these “guitar snobs” were royally missing the point – Frehley was the one player who inspired kids his age to pick up the instrument in the first place.
“This Guitar Player cover brought a lot of pushback in the form of angry mail (long before online comment sections),” writes Skolnick. “A subsection of readers just had to make it known that they felt Ace Frehley was undeserving of this magazine’s cover, which they expressed in the form of’ ‘letters to the editor’ (some of which you can read in subsequent GP issues).
“What those disgruntled guitar snobs of the late ‘70s failed to grasp was an important point: A virtual army (a KISS Army, if you will) of too many kids to name – including many of us who’d go on to find our own voices with our six-strings – were picking up guitars around this time. The reason we got interested in electric guitar was this man: Ace Frehley.”
Skolnick, who enjoys a portfolio career playing thrash metal with Testament, jazz with his eponymous trio, and prog-jazz fusion with PAKT, says he would have never have acquired such adventurous tastes if it wasn’t for Frehley leading him down the path.
“Other cover artists that year included Larry Carlton, Howard Roberts and Lee Ritenour, great virtuosos highly deserving of the attention, no doubt,” he continues.
“But if you were 10 years old at the time, chances are their music was over your head (unless you were far hipper than I was) and the one who made you want to play was Ace. And many of us who’d later appreciate guitarists like those above, were able to do so thanks to Ace opening our guitar doors. If anyone deserved the cover in 1979 it was Ace Frehley.”
The opprobrium around that GP cover also tells us that Frehley was underrated as a musician. Skolnick likens him to Ringo Starr, under appreciated when held in context of some of the flashier technicians in the business.
That Frehley reserved his flash for the songwriting and the performances should not disguise his abilities as a player. Skolnick says that’s what gave him a sound that was uniquely his.
“Ace had a voice like no other. It’s easy to dismiss ‘playing for the song’ as opposed to ‘having chops’ but Ace’s solos are 100 per cent for the song and mini-compositions within themselves,” continues Skolnick.
“Even as the EVH revolution led to Rhoads, Vai, Yngwie, Satriani and our current crop of ‘super shredders,’ Ace’s playing held its own. To this day, it’s difficult to hear Deuce (especially the version from Kiss Alive!) and not play air guitar. Ace will continue to inspire future air guitarists – many of whom will convert their ‘air guitars’ into real ones – for many years to come.”
Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave fame could relate. The Spaceman was his first guitar hero.
“The legendary Space Ace Frehley inspired generations to love rock ’n’ roll and love rock ’n’ roll guitar playing,” writes Morello on Instagram.
“His timeless riffs and solos, the billowing smoke coming from his Les Paul, the rockets shooting from his headstock, his cool spacey onstage wobble and his unforgettable crazy laugh will be missed but will never be forgotten. Thank you, Ace for a lifetime of great music and memories.”
Morello is right. Frehley’s playing lit up rock music for generations, and his pyrotechnic laugh lit up any room – as Nuno Bettencourt also notes.
“So long… Spaceman. First rock band I wanted to be like,” writes the Extreme guitarist, and proprietor of the recently formed Nuno Guitars. “Thank you Ace for the music and thank you for your kindness that made a little eight-year-old kid’s heart explode. And without a doubt … the greatest laugh in Rock History.”
Frehley belonged to a different star system. He was wired to a different gravity. Ours was too dull, too ordinary. Luckily for us, the Spaceman made first contact and lit it up. Earth will never be the same again.
