Following the death of KISS guitarist Ace Frehley last week, a medical examiner in New Jersey is now investigating the cause.
A rep from the Morris County Medical Examiner’s Office told TMZ that an autopsy was not conducted on Frehley. However, the rock icon is undergoing a toxicology screening and an external examination.
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This comes nearly a week after Frehley was placed on life support after being hospitalized because of a brain bleed, which he sustained after falling in his studio several weeks earlier. His family eventually made the decision to remove him from the ventilator.
The rocker’s family confirmed his death in a statement to People, expressing that they were ‘utterly devastated and heartbroken.’”
“We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others,” the statement read. “The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension. Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever!”
The rock musician played guitar on Kiss’ first nine albums alongside Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss from 1973 to 1982. Frehley eventually left the group due to struggles with substance abuse and disagreements over creative direction.
He rejoined the group for their 1998 reunion album “Psycho Circus,” but left again a few years later in 2002.
Stanley and Simmons shared a joint statement honoring their former bandmate saying, “I am 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. My thoughts are with Jeanette, Monique and all those who loved him, including our fans around the world.”
At 74, he is the first original member of KISS to die.
A rep confirmed that Ace’s cause of death will be determined in the coming weeks, once the toxicology report is finished.
