by Ace Frehley, the original Kiss guitarist, is set to become one of only three musicians to have ever received the Kennedy Center Honor posthumously.
Frehley passed away on October 16th and the age of 74, only seven weeks before the rock band was to receive one of America’s highest cultural distinctions, the Kennedy Center Honor.
It was a travesty that former bandmate Gene Simmons referenced in his social media post, writing, “Our hearts are broken. Ace has passed on. No one can touch Ace’s legacy. I know he loved the fans. He told me many times. Sadder still, Ace didn’t live long enough to be honoured at the Kennedy Ctr Honors event in Dec. Ace was the eternal rock soldier. Long may his legacy live on.”
The ceremony, scheduled for December 7th, will proceed without the group’s most iconic member. The Kennedy Center, named for President John F Kennedy, traditionally only honours living recipients. Nonetheless, it will make an exception for Frehley, who passed after their selection was announced but before the ceremony took place.
As a result, Frehley becomes only the third artist in the program’s history to be honoured this way. The other two were Glenn Frey of the Eagles and Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead, who were honoured in 2016 and 2024, respectively.
However, earlier ceremonies weren’t so forgiving. In 2008, The Who received their Kennedy Center Honor, but only surviving members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey were recognised. Similarly, in 2012, Led Zeppelin were honoured, but John Bonham, who died in 1980, was not included among the honorees, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones.
Kiss will become the seventh musical group to receive the honour, joining The Who, Led Zeppelin, Eagles, Earth, Wind & Fire, U2, and Grateful Dead.
In a statement sharing news of his death, the Frehley family said: “We are completely devastated and heartbroken. 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.”
