Ace Frehley’s cause of death has officially been revealed three weeks after his unexpected death at age 74.
The Morris County Medical Examiner confirmed that the founding KISS member died of blunt trauma injuries to his head due to a fall, TMZ reported on November 10.
Frehley’s family announced Frehley’s death on October 16, expressing their heartbreak and noting, “the magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions.”
Hours before the death announcement, TMZ had reported that Frehley had been on a ventilator for weeks after suffering a fall at his home, and that his family was considering pulling the plug as his condition was not improving.
In September, Frehley's team shared an Instagram update claiming that the fall was “minor” and assuring fans that the guitarist was “fine,” but he had to cancel his upcoming shows per doctor’s orders. According to TMZ, Frehley was suffering from a brain bleed and was not getting better on life support.
In a joint statement, KISS’s current members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley said they were “devastated” at the news, calling Frehley an “essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history.”
They added, “He is and will always be a part of KISS’s legacy,” even though Frehley left the band in 1982 followed by years of ups and downs between the former bandmates.
Frehley later formed his own group called Frehley’s Comet and went on to have a largely successful solo career.
Frehley is survived by his daughter, Monique, and wife Jeanette Trerotola.