“I hope the fans realised that I’m for real. All the stuff I’ve done was not contrived or remotely premeditated. It was always spontaneous”: Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley inspired a generation of rock stars – including Pantera, Pearl Jam and Tool

“His legacy will live on in the hearts of the KISS Army,” says drummer Peter Criss

Ace Frehley, the lead guitarist and founding member of Kiss, was a maverick figure and an inspiration to countless rock musicians.

Following the announcement of Frehley’s death on 16 October at the age of 74, tributes were posted by a host of famous names including Tool singer Maynard James Keenan and guitarists Steve Vai, Mike McCready, Nuno Bettencourt and Tom Morello.

A joint statement was issued by Frehley’s former bandmates in Kiss, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley: “We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley. He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history. He is and will always be a part of Kiss’s legacy.”