Gene Simmons Reflects on Ace Frehley’s Death and His History With Frehley and Peter Criss

Gene Simmons has revisited the turbulent history between himself, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss in a new sit-down with Michael Moynihan on The Moynihan Report. The KISS bassist addressed Frehley’s death, the guitarist’s multiple exits from the band, and how things currently stand with drummer Peter Criss.

• Ace Frehley died on October 16, 2025, at age 74 after a fall at his home in New Jersey.
• The Morris County Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death as blunt trauma injuries to the head, with the manner of death classified as accidental.
• Peter Criss first departed KISS in 1980; the band bought out his stake in 1982, and Simmons and Paul Stanley later did the same with Frehley’s ownership share.
• KISS received a Kennedy Center Honor at a ceremony held December 7, 2025, with Criss, Stanley and Simmons attending as the band’s surviving original members.

What Gene Simmons Said About Ace Frehley’s Struggles

Asked whether the friction between himself, Stanley, and their two former bandmates ever came down to money, Simmons flatly rejected the idea. “It was not money based. It was drugs and alcohol, sadly. Not with Paul or myself. And we love them, and without Ace and Peter, we wouldn’t be here,” he said.

Simmons pointed to Frehley’s lasting impact on other guitarists, naming Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell and Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready among the players he influenced, along with members of Metallica. He suggested Frehley simply wasn’t wired for the grind of long-term band life, saying “not everybody’s designed in their DNA to run a marathon” and adding that some people are built for a shorter race.

Simmons recalled a blunt exchange with Frehley during one of his exits from KISS, quoting the guitarist as telling him, “I’m gonna have a solo career ’cause if I go out on tour again, I’m gonna kill myself.” He said Frehley and Criss each managed a few years inside the band before cycling out and back in three separate times.

Looking back on Frehley’s third and final return to the lineup, Simmons described it as a period marked by “very serious drug use” that also took a toll on Frehley’s daughter, saying it left the band heartbroken. He noted that at the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony, an empty chair was left beside the band as a tribute to Frehley, and that Frehley’s daughter Monique attended in her father’s place.

Gene Simmons on His Relationship With Peter Criss Today

Simmons said his rapport with Criss shifts depending on proximity, calling things “great” when the two are face to face but admitting it grows more difficult when they’re apart. He said Criss has long framed himself as a victim of the band’s internal politics rather than owning his part in the fallout, quoting Criss as saying things like “they ganged up on me.”

Simmons argued that real accountability would mean Criss looking inward and acknowledging his own drug use and behavior instead of casting blame, and said Criss has rarely expressed gratitude for having been part of one of the biggest bands in history. On the financial side, Simmons said Criss now earns “very little” from KISS, tracing that back to the 1982 buyout of his stake in the band, a move he said also applied to Frehley’s ownership share and effectively turned the rest of the lineup into salaried employees.

By contrast, Simmons described his bond with Paul Stanley as unwavering, crediting a shared work ethic and overlapping moral and philosophical outlook that he said has held steady for more than five decades. He also noted that, unlike Frehley and Criss, he has never used drugs, alcohol or cigarettes.

More Info

• KISS’ GENE SIMMONS DISCUSSES ORIGINAL BAND MEMBERS ACE FREHLEY AND PETER CRISS | eddietrunk.com
• Gene Simmons Says Ace Frehley And Peter Criss Couldn’t Handle Life In KISS: ‘All Groups Of People Are A Business’ | Ultimate Guitar News
• Gene Simmons lamenta morte de Ace Frehley, mas critica Peter Criss: “Vítima” | wikimetal.com.br
• Gene Simmons Opens Up About Ace Frehley’s Death and His Relationship With Peter Criss | bluntmag.com.au
• Gene Simmons Explains Why Ace Frehley And Peter Criss Couldn’t Handle KISS | metalheadzone.com
• “Not everybody’s designed to run a marathon…” Gene Simmons on Ace Frehley’s three departures from Kiss | Guitar Player
• GENE SIMMONS Opens Up About ACE FREHLEYs Death, Current Relationship With PETER CRISS: PETERs Always Considered Himself A Victim | Blabbermouth
• Gene Simmons Gets Honest on Ace and Peter, Says Rock and Roll World Is Filled with Losers | rockcelebrities.net