Ace Frehley, KISS's original lead guitarist, is being hospitalized on life support, according to reports, just days after bandmate Gene Simmons crashed his car.
He reportedly suffered a brain bleed after falling in his studio a couple of weeks ago, forcing him to cancel his upcoming tour dates, but his health has continued to decline.
The 74-year-old rock star, who was nicknamed The Spaceman during his time in the 50-year-old band, has reportedly been on a ventilator for some time, but his condition hasn't gotten better. While several social media posts are indicating he's already passed away, TMZ has noted that the rock icon is still on the ventilator as of Thursday afternoon.
Following Frehley's fall and subsequent tour cancelation, a September 25 statement on his official Instagram page claimed, "He is fine, but against his wishes, his doctor insists that he refrain from travel at this time."
A week later, a second statement was released, stating, "Due to some ongoing medical issues, Ace has made the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of his 2025 dates."
The musician was a founding member of KISS with Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss. He played guitar for the group from 1973 to 1982, but, left the group amid creative differences and substance abuse issues.
Shortly after leaving KISS, Frehley began his solo career, founding the band Frehley's Comet, which performed together from 1984 to 1988. He rejoined KISS for their 1996 reunion tour, the Alive/Worldwide Tour, and remained with them until 2002. He also rejoined his bandmates for their End of the Road World Tour in 2023.
Frehley's health concerns come just days after Simmons, 76, was hospitalized following a car crash in Malibu, California. The singer was allegedly rushed to the hospital after the incident, which occurred on Tuesday, October 7, but has since returned home to recuperate.
The crash occurred around 1 p.m. on the Pacific Coast Highway after his Lincoln Navigator crashed into a parked car. According to NBC 4 Los Angeles, a witness called 911 to report the crash and first responders at the scene were able to converse with Simmons. No injuries were reported.
Simmons told authorities he had either passed out or fainted before hitting the parked car. His hospitalization was a precautionary measure, and he was soon released to recover at home.
Speaking to NBC 4 Investigates, Simmons' wife, Shannon Tweed, attributed the crash to his doctors recently changing his medications, and Simmons not drinking more water. She also shared that the accident occurred after his SUV careened across several lanes of traffic.
Simmons has been previously open about health struggles, particularly with a heart condition known as atrial fibrillation (AFib). "I had never heard of the term AFib, but about 10 years ago, we were on tour someplace, and onstage the temperature goes up about a hundred, with all the stage lights," he said on an episode of The Doctors in March 2016.
"I started to get dizzy and perspire and short of breath. So I called a doctor, and he showed up and said, 'OK, here’s what’s going on. There’s something called AFib,' and he went down the list. And it was a lot to take in."