Gene Simmons Blames Former Kiss Member Ace Frehley's 'Bad Decisions' for His Death: 'It Breaks My Heart'

Gene Simmons is getting candid about his friend and fellow KISS bandmate Ace Frehley’s death.

Simmons, 76, told an outlet on Saturday, December 6, that he believes Frehley's "bad decisions" related to substance abuse led to his October death at age 74. Frehley died of blunt trauma injuries to the head after falling down the stairs of his Morristown, NJ, home.

"He refused [advice] from people that cared about him — including yours truly — to try to change his lifestyle. In and out of bad decisions," Simmons shared. "Falling down the stairs — I’m not a doctor — doesn’t kill you. There may have been other issues, and it breaks my heart."

The KISS frontman continued, "The saddest thing — you reap what you shall sow unfortunately."

Simmons' comments came on the same day he reunited with surviving KISS members Paul Stanley, 73, and Peter Criss, 79, in Washington, D.C., to receive a Kennedy Center Honor.

The iconic performer lamented Frehley's absence in D.C., spilling: "Saddest of all perhaps is that Ace just couldn’t stay alive long enough to sit there proudly at the Kennedy Center and listen to – I can’t even tell you who’s going to come out … really impressive people, just to say how much KISS meant to them. What can you say – sad."

Frehley had apparently been sober for nearly approximately two decades at the time of his passing.

In 2023, the original lead guitarist and founding KISS member celebrated 17 years of sobriety with an Instagram post.

"Sobriety is a new lease on life, a new beginning, a chance at living a healthier, happier existence and knowing that you are in control of your life, that every day is a blessing," he wrote.

Frehley's family confirmed his death on October 16 after was reported the rocker suffered a brain bleed due to a fall weeks prior.

"We are completely devastated and heartbroken," their statement read. "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."

Simmons previously opened up about Frehley's death on the KISS Kruise in Las Vegas on November 16.

"If I have any regrets, my hand to God, it's that I sometimes — and I think we all go through this sometimes — wish we were smarter and better at trying to help Ace and Peter have better lives," he expressed.

"Tough love is a good idea in my opinion, with your children, with the people you love, with the people you care about, with the people you work with," he continued. "It's not going to be a popular thing, or you're going to argue about it, but in the long run you're going to be helping that person hopefully change their life."