Ace Frehley, Kiss’ original lead guitarist and founding member, dies at 74

FILE - Kiss guitarist Paul Stanley, right, guitarist Ace Frehley, center, and bassist Gene Simmons play during the band's farewell concert in the Detroit area, Thursday, May 25, 2000, at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Mich.. (AP Photo/Paul Warner, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 4, 2009 file photo, former KISS lead guitarist Ace Frehley plays the national anthem before an NFL football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Giants in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson, File)

FILE - Ace Frehley, lead guitarist for the hard-rock glam band KISS, performs with a Les Paul guitar during a concert at the Civic Center in Harford, Conn., Feb. 16, 1977. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

FILE - Members of the rock group Kiss, from left, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, Paul Stanley and Ace Frehley, pose for pictures during a news conference Friday, Jan. 29, 1999, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami. (AP Photo/Ron Heflin, File)

More Stories

People walk past damage caused by Hurricane Lowell on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026 in Poipu on Kaua?' ...

Lowell knocks out Hawaii port, islands struggle to recover — PHOTOS

9/11 25 years later — PHOTOS

This satellite image provided by Planet Labs PBC shows a Saudi Aramco oil refinery north of Abh ...

Oil surges above $100 a barrel as US and Iran launch new attacks, while gasoline prices also jump

A flood damaged Bright Angel Canyon runs into the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, Monday, A ...

Grand Canyon water supply to be restored in weeks, not months

The Associated Press

October 16, 2025 - 3:39 pm

Updated October 16, 2025 - 5:14 pm

MORRISTOWN, N.J. — Ace Frehley, the original lead guitarist and founding member of the glam rock band Kiss who captivated audiences with his elaborate makeup and smoke-filled guitar, died Thursday. He was 74.

Frehley died peacefully surrounded by family in Morristown following a recent fall, according to his agent.

Family members said in a statement that they are “completely devastated and heartbroken” but will cherish his laughter and celebrate the kindness he bestowed upon others.

Kiss, whose hits include “Rock and Roll All Nite” and “Detroit Rock City,” was known for its intense stage shows, which included fireworks, smoke and eruptions of fake blood performed by band members in black-and-white painted faces, platform boots and black wigs.

Frehley and his band mates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.

Lowell knocks out Hawaii port, islands struggle to recover — PHOTOS

The Associated Press

September 10, 2026 - 6:01 pm

Crews began repairing the only cargo port on one of Hawaii’s smallest main islands while power was being restored to another island.

9/11 25 years later — PHOTOS

September 10, 2026 - 3:58 pm

Below are a collection of photos from the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the recovery efforts and aftermath in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania – and the response in Southern Nevada.

Oil surges above $100 a barrel as US and Iran launch new attacks, while gasoline prices also jump

By Wyatte Grantham-Philips and Cathy Bussewitz | The Associated Press

September 9, 2026 - 12:36 pm

The latest developments in the war, both prospects of peace and renewed hostilities, have caused market whiplash before.

Grand Canyon water supply to be restored in weeks, not months

By Wufei Yu and Hannah Schoenbaum | The Associated Press

September 9, 2026 - 5:00 am

Officials expect to restore a reliable water supply in the Grand Canyon in weeks — not months — as the deadly flash flood didn’t damage most of a near-complete pipeline project, they said.

People walk on a pier as large waves from Hurricane Marie break on the shore, Monday, Sept. 7, ...

Remnants from Marie pound Southern California coast — PHOTOS

The Associated Press

September 8, 2026 - 6:43 pm

Swells with life-threatening surf and rip current conditions will continue for the next few days, the National Hurricane Center said.

This satellite image shows Hurricane Lowell near Hawaii on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (NOAA via AP)

Hawaii hit by fierce winds from Lowell, leaving extensive damage

The Associated Press

September 8, 2026 - 6:22 pm

Damaging winds and heavy rains from Hurricane Lowell pelted Hawaii’s western islands, knocking out power to thousands and ripping up stretches of beachside roads.

A rescue worker puts out a fire of a building destroyed after a Russian missile attack in Kyiv, ...

Putin assures Trump that Moscow doesn’t have aggressive plans toward Europe, Kremlin says

By Samya Kullab | The Associated Press

September 8, 2026 - 9:54 am

The war could yet drag on for years as Russia reconstitutes its forces and its defense industry, said U.S. Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby.

FILE - People protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the US consulat ...

Trump’s map-making on social media stirs controversy in North Atlantic

By Brian Melley | The Associated Press

September 8, 2026 - 8:36 am

“It’s disturbing and, in many ways, completely inappropriate,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told the national broadcaster DR on Tuesday.