The rock community suffered a devastating blow this week when original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley tragically passed away. The 74-year-old’s death stemmed from a fall he sustained at his home. Initially, Frehley canceled a show because of the accident, but news had circulated that the fall wasn’t overly serious and that he was on the mend.
What people didn’t know, however, was that the highly influential guitarist fell a second time which ultimately lead to his passing. SiriusXM DJ and Frehley’s friend for nearly 40 years, Eddie Trunk, shared the heartbreaking news during the opening minutes of his tribute show to Ace on Friday.
“It’s been a brutal 24 hours,” Trunk said. “Honestly it’s been a brutal two weeks. Because what people don’t know about this if you’ve seen the video I put up on social media, there seems to be a bit of confusion about this whole thing. Because Ace did fall. He fell initially, and I had put out a post saying he was fine, and I was in touch with him, and all that was true. The piece of this that people aren’t understanding is that Ace fell a second time.”
Trunk went on to say that the second fall, which occurred two weeks ago, “was catastrophic. He fell downstairs at his home. He was not drunk, he was not high. Ace was very proud of his sobriety, so you can diffuse that right away. I don’t know all the circumstances around it, but it was a very serious fall. I’ve been to his house. I know the stairs. And he hit his head severely multiple times. That caused the problems.”
Trunk also said he didn’t think that Frehley regained consciousness at any point after the fall. “I’m not going to get into all the gory details of it, but it was a very serious injury,” Trunk continued. “I was able to get a lot of detailed information. I was just hoping he would make a turn for the best, but he was to my knowledge not conscious at all after the fall until he passed away. Like everyone I had hoped, prayed hoping he would come out of it, and unfortunately he didn’t.”
Frehley and KISS were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. There has been a monumental outpouring of tributes since news of his passing spread. KISS issued a statement saying: “We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley. He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history. He is and will always be a part of KISS’s legacy. Our thoughts are with Jeanette, Monique and all those who loved him, including our fans around the world.”
