Gene Simmons has reflected on his early days with Kiss, and says he regrets not being tougher on Ace Frehley as the late guitarist immersed himself in the darker side of the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle.
Speaking with Classic Rock once (via Guitar Player), Frehley – who died earlier this year at the age of 74 – had said, “Alcohol and drugs were my constant companion, my best friend – and worst enemy.” Simmons, who is famously lifelong sober, saw how Frehley's predilections for excess were harming his “brother”.
“If I have any regrets, my hand to God, it’s that I sometimes wish we were smarter and better at trying to help Ace and Peter [Criss, original Kiss drummer] have better lives,” Simmons said at the recent Kiss Kruise event in Las Vegas (via People). “I wish I had practiced more tough love and been more in the face of people that we cared about.”
During the recent Kiss Kruise, the band played their first shows since their blockbuster The End of the Road tour concluded at Madison Square Garden in 2023. Their unplugged show was preluded by a candelit tribute to Frehley.
“All of us are guilty of it, and so am I,” Simmons confesses, saying how such harmful behaviours and issues were never tackled. “Because you want to get through [the tour] 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 making bad decisions.”
Just months before his death, Frehley was eager to set the record straight regarding his relationships with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, as well as his two departures from the band in 1982 and 2002.
Speaking to Guitar World' correspondent Andrew Daly – who penned a heartfelt eulogy to his friend in the wake of his death – Frehley was happy to admit he'd had his demons.
“I used to be a bad drunk and did a lot of drugs,” he said. “I lost it – a couple of times I overdosed, had several car accidents; just crazy shit. I wouldn’t be here talking to you right now if I didn’t get sober 17 years ago.
“Sometimes people come backstage and show me their Alcoholics Anonymous coin and ask me to rub it for good luck,” he added. “It’s unbelievable that today I’m having a positive influence on people, instead of being known as the maniac trying to outrun a police force in White Plains, New York!”
Meanwhile, Tom Morello has led the tributes to the guitarist, saying he owes Ace a “life debt”.
Ace was working on a new album, Origins Vol. 3, at the time of his passing, and John 5 has now confirmed that he was set to star on the record.
