Kiss at Ace Frehley’s funeral in New York
Ace Frehley, founding guitarist of Kiss, was buried in the Bronx, New York, a few days after his death on October 13th at the age of 74. The ceremony was attended by family members, close friends and the three surviving original members of the band – Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss – who gathered to pay tribute to the colleague and friend with whom they had shared the birth and rise of the iconic formation of American rock. The ceremony was narrated by radio host Eddie Trunk, a personal friend of the guitarist, describing on social media the atmosphere of great emotion experienced during the ceremony:
“Ace Frehley has now been laid to rest in the Bronx, NY. It was a very eventful couple of days, to say the least, saying goodbye to a rock icon and a long-time friend. All the services went as smoothly as possible and were attended by a small group of close family and friends, including the three surviving original members of Kiss. It was an honor to be invited to attend and take part, and I saw old friends and met again, celebrating Ace.
His family has given me permission to organize a tribute concert or fan celebration in the future. It’s something that I, and many others, feel is deserved and should happen.
The founding guitarist of Kiss passed away last Tuesday following the consequences of a head injury caused by a fall in the studio in the previous days. “The scope of his passing is of epic and incomprehensible proportions. As we reflect on all of his incredible accomplishments in life, Ace’s memory will live on forever!”, the family wrote
Frehley was born on April 27, 1951 in New York, teaching himself to play the guitar as a teenager, listening to records by Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. Gene Simmons (bass) and Paul Stanley (guitar) formed Kiss in New York in 1972, recruiting Ace Frehley and Peter Criss (drums) thanks to some advertisements. Together they had to hide their faces behind a make-up that will forever remain the distinctive feature of the group and by releasing the first album, KISSin 1973.
