Echoing the words of his artistic better Paul McCartney from three and a half decades past, ex-KISS guitarist Ace Frehley felt compelled today to answer Internet rumors of his death by suicide.
"Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated," the 55-year-old, Bronx-bred rocker said today in a release from spokesperson Carol Kaye. The statement also indicated Frehley is "alive and well and working on his highly anticipated solo album."
Perhaps the anticipation overwhelmed whoever started the rumor. Or maybe it was wishful thinking.
"I don’t know how this ridiculous rumor got started," the release quotes the formerly star-faced guitarist as saying, before also mentioning that the veteran ax-wielder eats wheat germ and treadmills daily.
No one who has ever eaten wheat germ or pounded the treadmill has ever committed suicide. You could look it up. The formerly hard partying rock star has reportedly be sober for a number of years, incidentally.
Not sure where MySpace blogger Hal got the "news," but he was certainly sincere in his tribute to the KISS founding guitarist. "When I grew up in Kentucky the guys in KISS had a profound impact on me," he writes. "They were in many ways ... my primary male role models ... Ace always seemed the perfect representation of disconnect. That lack of material connection to the earth plane that is an important part of being an artist," Hal avers. "Ace's songs ... like 'Strange Ways,' 'Ozone' and the instrumental 'Fractured Mirror' gave a depth to KISS' catalogue it would have missed otherwise. I truly love these songs."
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Peter
Ace was always the coolest of all of them. And Kiss is again "less than" for not having him on board.
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
Well that's good news about Ace Frehley, but conversely that's horrible news about Franco.
3 - Mark Saleski
gee, i wonder that the age cutoff line is for people to get the franco/snl reference?
4 - Eric Olsen
maybe with the revival of early SNL, the reference age has come down again?
5 - Mark Saleski
i have just got to get that stuff on dvd.
that, and some Ace Frehley solo records. ;-)
6 - El Bicho
He should have remained quiet, then released "his highly anticipated solo album" as "Frehley Comes Alive". I think it's fair to assume that people who know Ace know early SNL and other mid-'70s references.
7 - Eric Olsen
it's hard not to have affection for KISS, surely they belong in the Rock Hall in any world that doesn't take itself too seriously
Matt, the Spanish are just realizing Franco isn't around - we must be delicate about such things
8 - Mark Saleski
hey, i saw Kiss two nights in a row at the old richfield coliseum.
9 - lori
"Echoing the words of his artistic better Paul McCartney"....
Who was echoing the words of his artistic better from a century past: Mark Twain.
:-)
10 - Eric Olsen
great point lori!
11 - JC Mosquito
How was Franco's solo album anyway?
12 - Matthew T. Sussman
Still vinyl.
13 - tink
better than his canned spaghetti.
14 - Eric Olsen
fascist spaghetti
15 - Donnie Marler
"Death I hear you callin', but I can't come home right now."
16 - Ghostseer
Who in their right mind would think that Ace would actually commit suicide??
17 - Barb
Glad to hear you are doing a solo.
18 - Eric Olsen
musicians in general aren't known for being wildly stable
19 - Bob J. Thompson
Ace, glad you're sober, healthy, and working on another project.
20 - R. Roland Gutzky
I've been an Ace fan since the early 70s and he inspired me (along with Jimmy Page) to pick up the guitar over 30 years ago. So naturally when I saw something referencing his demise I jumped on it. While I was very glad to see that it had been only a rumour I bristled at the comment about 'no one who has ever eaten wheat germ and pounded a treadmill has ever committed suicide.'
Not to get on a soap box or point fingers; simply to inform. Please don't make flippant remarks like that. 32,000 families every year lose a member to depression (in the form of suicide). Statistically you are more likely to kill yourself than to be killed by someone else. Someone takes their own life every 18 minutes in the United States. It is the 10th leading cause of death and the 8th leading cause of death among men. Believe me... many people who have been on a treadmill have died from depression... how do I know? I was almost one of them. Last year I spent 3 months in 4 different hospitals in two different countries and spent $50,000 of my own money on treatment. Depression/suicide is a serious problem. Dead Serious.
21 - carol
Ace Frehley dead? LOL! He looks good and NOT dead to me! (wolf whistle)
22 - carol
Saw Ace in an 8 minute video clip on YouTube of his rehersal performance. For a "dead" man, he looked alive from where I sit. And may I add, on point, snappy, and outrageously funny. The tag line "I have a joke... Gene Simmons!".. Perfect!
Ace--you still look good!(naughty smile)
23 - spacechild
I've been watching every clip available on You Tube of Ace's tour for this year and he's HOT!
As long as he keeps it together and stays sober,
he's just going to get better and better. Those who have been saying that he does not need KISS may be right after all.
By the way, Ace is still cool, and in his own rugged way is stil sexy.
24 - Devee
Can u donate me your guitar...I cant even Pay the Shipping charges...will u send that to my place...plz be generous...i need it...with an urge for it....
25 - Devee
mail me..if u can do tht to me....if u dont want to donate me...then can u lend tht to me...(with out Interest Rate..I cant pay u....the day I'll become as good as ..i will return your guitar...)...
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