Tonight, we all got hit with the heartbreaking news that the legendary guitarist Ace Frehley is gone. This one hurts, hard. Ace wasn’t just my favorite guitarist — he’s been the guy for me since I was four years old. His solos still light me up, and he wrote some of my favorite KISS songs ever.
As soon as the news broke, messages came flooding in from friends and fellow music lovers. Hearing that Ace was gone at 74… yeah, it upset me and hit like a ton of bricks.
“Shock Me” has my favorite guitar solo of all time — no contest. And then there are songs I wish I could play, like “2000 Man,” “Talk to Me,” and “Hard Times” — songs that made me, and still make me, happy and fired up every single time I hear them.
Ace’s playing has been a part of my life for over 50 years. It shaped who I am, and it still puts a smile on my face even now. It sucks that he’s gone — but we’ll have his riffs, his swagger, and his songs forever.
I was lucky enough to see KISS at Madison Square Garden in ’96 and Ace solo at Trees in Dallas in 2014. They were two incredible nights I’ll never forget.
Rest in peace, Ace Frehley. Thank you for a lifetime of music, memories, and magic. And yeah, I’m crying as I write this… and I will be for a while.
— THE MAESTRO
