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Tag: Kiss

  • Ace Frehley of KISS RIP

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    Paul Daniel “Ace” Frehley, the original lead guitarist and founding member of KISS, died on October 16, 2025, at age 74, following complications from a brain bleed sustained after a studio fall. His family says he passed peacefully, surrounded by loved ones according to AP News. Ace Frehley of KISS RIP.

    Just weeks before, the guitarist had suffered a fall in his studio, which led to a hospitalization and ultimately a brain bleed. He was placed on life support, and TMZ reported his family made the difficult decision to turn off his ventilator. The severity of the situation prompted the canceling of his remaining 2025 shows, and as the reports developed, the sad outcome emerged.

    Ace Frehley’s Legacy

    A co-founder of KISS in the early ’70s (with Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Peter Criss), Ace became synonymous with the “Spaceman” persona. Complete with make-up, his smoking guitar tricks, and an atmospheric playing style, Frehley influenced generations of guitarists. Ace was part of KISS during their formative and most theatrical years. Contributing memorable riffs, occasional vocals, and stage presence, Ace helped make the band the “hottest band in the world.”

    Outside KISS, Ace also carved a solo path. His 1978 solo album, released concurrently with his bandmates’ solo efforts, produced the hit “New York Groove.” The song became the most commercially successful of the four.

    He later formed Frehley’s Comet, released solo records like Anomaly and Space Invader, and on top of other various projects.

    In 2014, Ace was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with the original KISS lineup. His influence extended far beyond power chords. Ace symbolized a bold mixture of artifice and raw rock, forging a path for guitarists who wanted to be theatrical and heavy. Ace Frehley of KISS RIP.

    Donielle Flynn has two kids, two cats, two dogs, and a love of all things rock. She’s been in radio decades and held down top-rated day parts at Detroit, Philadelphia, and Washington DC radio stations throughout her tenure. She enjoys writing about rock news, the Detroit community, and she has a series called “The Story Behind” where she researches the history of classic rock songs.

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    Donielle Flynn

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  • Ace Frehley, original KISS lead guitarist, dead at 74 – National | Globalnews.ca

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    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.

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    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.


    &copy 2025 The Canadian Press

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    Globalnews Digital

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  • This Day in Rock History: October 14

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    Oct. 14 has seen plenty of important moment for rock fans, from The Everly Brothers’ early rock and roll success to Iron Maiden and KISS releasing amazing live recordings and Motley Crue topping the albums chart. Here are just some of the notable events that happened on this day in rock history.

    Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

    Huge names such as Michael Jackson and The Everly Brothers enjoyed big breaks on Oct. 14:

    • 1957: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inaugural-class inductees The Everly Brothers got their first-ever U.S. No. 1 hit with “Wake Up Little Susie.” The single also spent seven weeks at the top of Billboard’s Country chart.
    • 1972: Michael Jackson landed his first-ever solo No. 1 hit when his single “Ben” climbed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. The song appeared on his second solo album of the same name.
    • 1989: Motley Crue’s fifth studio album, Dr. Feelgood, reached No. 1 on the U.S. album chart, where it spent two weeks. It remains the band’s only No. 1 album, and it went on to sell over 6 million copies in the U.S. alone.

    Notable Recordings and Performances

    Oct. 14 is also the anniversary of some legendary album releases:

    • 1977: David Bowie released his 12th album, Heroes, via RCA Records. It received mostly positive reviews from critics, and the title single is one of Bowie’s most popular songs.
    • 1977: On the same day of the same year, KISS released their Alive II live album through Casablanca Records. One of the band’s highest-selling records, it was their first to receive double Platinum certification.
    • 1985: Iron Maiden released their album Live After Death, which included live recordings from the band’s World Slavery tour. It’s widely regarded as one of the best live albums of all time, and it achieved Platinum status in both the U.S. and Canada.

    From huge career milestones to iconic album releases, Oct. 14 is a meaningful date for rock fans. Come back tomorrow to find out what major events took place on that day in rock history.

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    Dan Teodorescu

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  • This Day in Rock History: October 11

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    Oct. 11 is remembered for many notable events throughout rock’s history, including a famous debut and KISS’ reinvention after years of performing in full makeup. This is what happened on this day in rock history over the years.

    Breakthrough Hits and Milestones

    Several rock artists celebrated distinct milestones on Oct. 11:

    • 1983: As part of a strategic move to revitalize the band’s image, KISS performed without their famous face paint for the first time, in the opening show of their Lick It Up tour in Cascais Hall in Lisbon, Portugal. Their first-ever makeup-free appearance had taken place a few weeks earlier, on Sept. 18, during an MTV special.
    • 1990: Dave Grohl played his first show with his new band, Nirvana, at the North Shore Surf Club in Olympia, Washington. He went on to have a successful four-year career with the band and then founded his own group, the Foo Fighters.
    • 2016: Rod Stewart was knighted by Prince William in recognition of his significant services to music and charity work. Stewart, whose music career began in 1962, is a two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, both as a solo artist and with the Faces, and has sold over 120 million albums worldwide.

    Industry Changes and Challenges

    The following impactful events on Oct. 11 helped shape the rock scene:

    • 2006: The Darkness frontman and lead guitarist Justin Hawkins announced that he was leaving the band due to his battle with substance addiction. They reunited a few years later and released several albums, with the most recent one coming out earlier this year.
    • 2018: The Music Modernization Act was signed into law. It clarified many copyright-related issues that prevented older recordings from being properly monetized via streaming services.

    From iconic first moments to a heartfelt token of appreciation for one of music’s biggest stars, Oct. 11 was a lively day in the rock world. Visit this website tomorrow to learn about more exciting moments in rock history.

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    Dan Teodorescu

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  • Kiss rocker Gene Simmons recovering after crashing SUV

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    Kiss rock star Gene Simmons is recovering after he fainted while driving along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and crashed his SUV into a parked car, authorities said.Simmons, a co-founder and bassist for the legendary band, was evaluated at a hospital Tuesday before being released. He posted on social media that he was doing well.“Thanks, everybody, for the kind wishes. I’m completely fine. I had a slight fender bender. It happens,” he said on X.The 76-year-old’s SUV crossed several lanes before hitting a parked car along the highway, agencies that responded to the crash told several media outlets. Simmons was then transported to a hospital, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.Kiss retired from a half-century of touring in 2023, but Simmons and his bandmates plan to play in November at a special event in Las Vegas. In August, President Donald Trump announced that Kiss will be among this year’s Kennedy Center honorees.

    Kiss rock star Gene Simmons is recovering after he fainted while driving along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and crashed his SUV into a parked car, authorities said.

    Simmons, a co-founder and bassist for the legendary band, was evaluated at a hospital Tuesday before being released. He posted on social media that he was doing well.

    “Thanks, everybody, for the kind wishes. I’m completely fine. I had a slight fender bender. It happens,” he said on X.

    The 76-year-old’s SUV crossed several lanes before hitting a parked car along the highway, agencies that responded to the crash told several media outlets. Simmons was then transported to a hospital, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

    Kiss retired from a half-century of touring in 2023, but Simmons and his bandmates plan to play in November at a special event in Las Vegas. In August, President Donald Trump announced that Kiss will be among this year’s Kennedy Center honorees.

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  • Interview: Our Job Is Stanning garbagebarbie!

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    You are reading a post Interview: Our Job Is Stanning garbagebarbie! that first appeared on The Honey POP and has not been approved for reposting. If you’ve enjoyed this post, you can follow The Honey POP on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

    At THP, we take pride in telling you about the latest music that you should be listening to. And if you haven’t heard it already, you need to listen to ‘kiss’ by garbagebarbie immediately. We’re so excited because we got the chance to talk with the LA DIY band all about it! In this sweet […]

    You are reading a post Interview: Our Job Is Stanning garbagebarbie! that first appeared on The Honey POP and has not been approved for reposting. If you’ve enjoyed this post, you can follow The Honey POP on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

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    Aera Ahn

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  • Watch: Trump announces Kennedy Center Honorees, takes questions

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    President Trump visited the Kennedy Center Wednesday to announce this year’s honorees: Country-music artist George Strait, singer Gloria Gaynor, actor and singer Michael Crawford, actor Sylvester Stallone and the rock band KISS. Following the announcement, Mr. Trump took questions on several topics.

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  • KISS Begins New Era as Avatars Following Band's Final Performance

    KISS Begins New Era as Avatars Following Band's Final Performance

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    Minutes after KISS left the stage at New York City’s Madison Square Garden following their final farewell tour performance Saturday night, a new KISS era began. Current band members Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer, Eric Singer will continue on — virtually.

    A video of digital avatars of the foursome appeared on both the Garden’s screens and the KISS Instagram page once the band left the stage on December 2. Posted with the caption “A NEW ERA BEGINS #KISSARMY #KISSNEWERA,” the video provided a glimpse into the making of the avatars, proclaiming, “KISS have been immortalized. Reborn as avatars to rock forever.”

    “The future is so exciting,” Simmons said in a clip. “We can live on eternally.”

    Stanley added, “The band deserves to live on because the band is bigger than we are.”

    After five decades as a band, KISS will continue touring in avatar form, created by Industrial Light & Magic (George Lucas’ special-effects company) in partnership with Pophouse Entertainment Group.

    The same companies recently worked on the ABBA avatars for the ABBA Voyage digital shows in London. Pophouse Entertainment CEO Per Sundin said this new avatar technology allows bands like ABBA and KISS to “have a concert in three cities in the same night across three different continents” if they wanted.

    Fans can get access to the new KISS era by signing up on the KISS website.

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    Jackie Kolgraf

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  • KISS reveals digital avatars at farewell concert: ‘We can be forever young’ – National | Globalnews.ca

    KISS reveals digital avatars at farewell concert: ‘We can be forever young’ – National | Globalnews.ca

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    Rock and roll never dies, and neither does the band KISS.

    At the conclusion of their farewell concert at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday night, the rock band debuted their new digital avatars — ones that will ensure KISS can continue to tour, long after the stars have retired.

    The avatars, made by the same people who designed the digitized ABBA concert series, took over the band’s encore performance of God Gave Rock ‘n’ Roll to You. After the actual KISS band members exited the stage, their giant, better-than-holographic counterparts continued to rock on, flying on demon wings, breathing fire and shooting lightning bolts from their fingers.

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    KISS’ current line-up features original members Gene Simmons, 74, and Paul Stanley, 71, as well as late joiners Eric Singer, 65, and Tommy Thayer, 63.

    The KISS avatars were created using data from motion-capture suits worn by the band members earlier this year.

    The avatars are three-dimensional and approximately eight feet tall. Using pyrotechnics, lasers and other special effects, the avatars are dramatic and made to resemble the rockers in their younger years. Despite being digital, the avatars play instruments and sing, as well as dance a little more nimbly than the real-life members.

    In a promotional video shared after the band’s final concert Saturday night, Gene Simmons said the avatars would allow KISS to be “forever young and forever iconic.”

    For Simmons, KISS transcends age. He said three different generations of fans can often be spotted at the band’s concerts.

    Frontman Paul Stanley championed the avatars as a “culmination of 50 years” of the band’s history. He said the avatars will fuse “reality and a created reality to play with people’s perception of what’s real and what’s not real.”

    “I think we’ve transcended over the years being human beings, and here we are becoming immortal,” Stanley said of KISS. “It couldn’t be more exciting.”

    Stanley noted that he and his bandmates cannot maintain their success on stage indefinitely, but their avatars can. The band members hoped, with their avatars, they could continue to bring KISS to new generations of rock and roll fans.

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    “The technology is going to make Paul jump higher than he’s ever done before,” Simmons described.

    “And it won’t hurt!” Stanley quipped.

    “What we’ve accomplished has been amazing, but it’s not enough,” Stanley continued. “The band deserves to live on because the band is bigger than we are.”

    The avatars were designed by George Lucas’ special effects company Industrial Light & Magic in partnership with the Swedish group Pophouse Entertainment. Their digitized concert series starring ABBA’s avatars in London earlier this year reportedly made more than US$2 million (about C$2.7 million) a week.

    It is not yet clear how the KISS avatars will be used, or if like ABBA, they will have their own concert series. The BBC reported it is not yet known if former KISS members like Peter Criss and Ace Frehley will be included among the avatars.

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    KISS’ final tour began four years ago, but only concluded last week after delays to do with COVID-19 restrictions and Stanley’s health. This was KISS’ second farewell tour, with the first in 2001.


    Click to play video: 'Highlights from the Vancouver Kiss concert'


    Highlights from the Vancouver Kiss concert


    &copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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    Sarah Do Couto

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  • Gene Simmons Assures He’s ‘Fine’ After Brief Dehydration Forced Him To Perform Sitting Down During KISS Concert

    Gene Simmons Assures He’s ‘Fine’ After Brief Dehydration Forced Him To Perform Sitting Down During KISS Concert

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    By Melissa Romualdi with files from Miguel A. Melendez‍ , ETOnline.com.

    Gene Simmons is assuring fans that he’s feeling better after he wasn’t his usual self during KISS’ concert Wednesday night in Brazil, where he was forced to perform while sitting down after falling ill.

    On Thursday, the 73-year-old musician responded to fans’ concern on Twitter regarding the incident.

    “Hey everybody, thanks for the good wishes. I’m fine,” Simmons tweeted. “Yesterday at Manaus Stadium in Brazil, experienced weakness because of dehydration. We stopped for about five minutes, I drank some water, and then all was well. Nothing serious.”


    READ MORE:
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    An hour later, the rocker shared a follow-up tweet, elaborating on why he briefly fell ill.

    “Ok, kids. Not a big deal. Thanks for your kind wishes,” he began his tweet. “Last night we played Amazon jungle Stadium/Brazil. Humidity and temperature were sky high. I was dehydrated and was forced to sit for a song. We got back on stage in 5 minutes & finished the show.”


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    Gene Simmons Promises KISS Will Extend Farewell Tour To ‘Another 100 Cities Before We Stop’

    Following KISS’ Brazil concert earlier this week, a video shared on social media, sees Simmons holding his bass while sitting in a chair. The one-minute video then cuts to Paul Stanley telling the audience at Arena da Amazônia in Manaus, Brazil they’re going to have to stop the concert to tend to Simmons.

    “We’re gonna have to stop,” he says. “Because we love him, right? Let’s give Gene a really loud, ‘Gene!’ One, two, three. Gene!’”

    According to People, the concert was halted for about five minutes before Simmons returned to the stage to perform “Say Yeah” while sitting down.


    READ MORE:
    Gene Simmons Thinks Beyoncé And Bruno Mars ‘Would Pass Out’ Performing In KISS Costumes

    Back in March, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers announced the final dates of their “End of the Road” tour. The band said their final shows will take place where it all started 50 years ago, New York City.

    “KISS was born in New York City. On 23rd Street. Half a century ago. It will be a privilege and honour to finish touring at Madison Square Garden, 10 blocks and 50 years from where we first started,” the band said in a statement.

    The final tour dates will be Dec. 1 and 2 at Madison Square Garden.

    “The End of the Road” tour kicked off in 2019, but was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql2D1qfUemk

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    Melissa Romualdi

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