The legendary KISS guitarist, Ace Frehley, passed away on Thursday, October 16, after his family made the difficult decision to disconnect him from the ventilator... and now the cause of his death has been revealed, as reported by TMZ.
The American media has confirmed that Ace died as a result of a traumatic brain injury caused by a fall.
According to the report from the Morris County medical examiner in New Jersey, the guitarist suffered a fracture at the back of the skull, with a subdural hematoma, in addition to a stroke. The manner of his death was classified as an accident.
The 74-year-old musician was put on life support after a severe fall in a studio that caused a cerebral hemorrhage. According to the report, a procedure was performed to stop the internal bleeding, but without success.
Last March, Ace was smiling as he talked about his comeback after a serious arm injury. In an interview with the New Jersey newspaper The Aquarian, he said: "I just spoke with a psychic. She told me: 'Ace, you're going to live to be a hundred years old'. So I replied: 'No problem!'
Ace was a founder member of KISS, joining Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Peter Criss. He played guitar with the band from 1973 to 1982 but left the group due to addiction issues and creative differences.
The band members assumed comic book-style characters: Frehley was known as Space Ace and The Spaceman.
Born in New York and a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Frehley often experimented with pyrotechnics, making his guitars light up, spew smoke, and shoot rockets.
"We are devastated by the death of Ace Frehley," said Simmons and Stanley in a joint statement. "He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the band's most formative and foundational chapters. He is and will always be part of the KISS legacy."
Born as Paul Daniel Frehley, he grew up in a musical family and started playing guitar at the age of 13. Before joining Kiss, he played in local bands around New York City and was a tour technician for Jimi Hendrix at 18 years old.