Ace Frehley, Kiss’s original lead guitarist and “Spaceman,” died Thursday at 74 in Morristown, New Jersey, after a recent fall, his agent said. Surrounded by family, he was remembered for his laughter and kindness. Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons called him essential and irreplaceable, honoring his role in the band’s formative years. Frehley’s smoke-spewing, rocket-firing guitars helped define Kiss’s theatrical heyday; he left in 1982 and later rejoined in the mid-1990s. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee’s death is the first among the group’s four founders.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.