Authorities in New Jersey have opened an investigation into the death of Ace Frehley, the founding guitarist of KISS, who died Oct. 16 at the age of 74.
Frehley, known to fans as “Spaceman,” died in Morristown, New Jersey.
His family said in a statement that he died “peacefully surrounded by family” after “a recent fall at his home.”
They did not specify the exact cause of death.
TMZ reported that the Morris County Medical Examiner’s Office has begun a review into the circumstances surrounding Frehley’s death.
The office confirmed that no autopsy has been conducted but that his body is undergoing an external examination along with toxicology testing.
The results, which are expected to determine a formal cause of death, should be released within the coming weeks.
Reports surfaced shortly before his death that Frehley had been hospitalized and placed on life support following a brain bleed in September while working in a recording studio.
The incident led him to cancel all remaining live performances scheduled for 2025.
“We are completely devastated and heartbroken,” Frehley’s family said in their statement announcing his death.
“In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth,” the statement continued.
“We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others,” the family wrote.
“The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension. Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever!”
KISS co-founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley paid tribute to their former bandmate in a joint statement to Page Six.
“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,” they said.
“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.”
Born in New York City in 1951, Frehley co-founded KISS in 1973 alongside Stanley, Simmons, and drummer Peter Criss, NME reported.
He left the band in the early 1980s amid creative disagreements and substance abuse issues but later returned for their 1996 reunion, remaining until 2002.
Frehley co-wrote several of the band’s most recognizable songs, including “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” “Rock and Roll All Nite,” “Detroit Rock City,” and “Love Gun.”
He was scheduled to receive a posthumous Kennedy Center Honor on Dec. 7, becoming the third musician to receive the award after death, following Eagles’ Glenn Frey and Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh.
The medical examiner’s findings on Frehley’s cause of death are expected to be released once toxicology testing is complete.
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