Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley died from injuries sustained in fall, medics say

Ace Frehley, the original lead guitarist and founding member of the US rock band Kiss, died from blunt force injuries to the head sustained after a fall earlier this year, a post-mortem examination has determined.

Frehley died peacefully on October 16 surrounded by family in Morristown, New Jersey, a few weeks after the fall occurred, according to his agent.

The Morris County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Frehley’s death was an accident.

The report said the 74-year-old suffered facial fractures near the eyes and left ear and also had bruising on his left abdomen and thigh area and his right hip and upper thigh.

Kiss, whose hits included Rock and Roll All Nite and I Was Made For Lovin’ You, is known for its theatrical stage shows, with the four band members typically wearing black and white face paint.

The original line-up included Frehley, singer-guitarist Paul Stanley, bassist Gene Simmons and drummer Peter Criss.

Frehley is the first of the four founding members to die.

Band members took on the personas of comic book-style characters — Frehley was known as “Space Ace” and “The Spaceman”.

The New York-born entertainer often experimented with pyrotechnics, making his guitars glow, emit smoke and shoot rockets from the headstock.

Kiss was especially popular in the mid-1970s, selling tens of millions of albums and licensing its iconic look to become a marketing marvel. Beth was the band’s biggest commercial hit in the US, peaking at number seven on the Billboard Top 100 in 1976.

In the UK, Kiss had two top 10 hit singles, with Crazy Crazy Nights and God Gave Rock And Roll To You II both reaching number four.

Frehley frequently feuded with Stanley and Simmons through the years. He left the band in 1982, missing the years when they took off the makeup and had mixed success, while Frehley performed both as a solo artist and with his band, Frehley’s Comet.

He rejoined Kiss in the mid-1990s for a triumphant reunion and restoration of their original style that came after bands including Nirvana, Weezer and the Melvins had expressed affection for the band and paid them musical tributes.

He would leave again in 2002.

When the original four entered the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, a dispute scrapped plans for them to perform. Simmons and Stanley objected to Criss and Frehley being inducted instead of then-guitarist Tommy Thayer and then-drummer Eric Singer.