The rock world lost a titan with the passing of Ace Frehley on October 16, 2025. Many fans returned to Kiss’s long-awaited 1995 reunion to see the legendary guitarist rock the mic on lead vocals on “Rock and Roll All Nite.” It meant a lot to fans to see the four original guys onstage together for the first time since 1980 at the MTV Unplugged performance.
Hearing Ace take lead vocals on one of the band’s greatest hits was an emotional moment for fans, who called it “the greatest Kiss live recording ever.” Original drummer Peter Criss finished the verse that The Spaceman started – talk about a stacked vocal lineup. Another highlight was Ace’s guitar solo just after the two-minute mark. Readers might not be surprised to hear that many fans list Ace as their favorite Kiss guitarist, and it’s moments like these that show exactly why.
Kiss uploaded a remastered HD cut of the MTV Unplugged performance on August 2, 2025. Fans were loving the nostalgia hit and added comments such as “This has got to be the greatest Kiss recording ever. Just loving the fact that they captured ALL of them together. RIP Ace” and “The fact that Pete and Ace got to sing the second verse was awesome.”
Another highlight from the Unplugged performance was “Beth.” On this number, Peter got out from behind the drum kit to front the band on lead vocals for the whole song. Ace got to shine on this number again with a tasteful, emotive solo after the two-minute mark, which the top commenter said was their favorite solo from The Spaceman.
Ace Frehley died surrounded by family on October 16, 2025, at age 74 in Morristown, New Jersey. On September 25, 2025, Ace fell in his home studio, which resulted in a brain bleed and him being put on life support. Ace was Kiss’s founding lead guitarist, with his original tenure in the band lasting from 1973 to 1982. He reunited with the band in 1995 for the MTV Unplugged performance and continued playing with the band until 2002. Ace also found success as a solo artist, with his self-titled 1978 solo debut album going Platinum in the US. Readers might be interested to hear that this made it the most successful Kiss solo debut, with all four members having released solo albums the same year. Ace was beloved by fans for his brilliantly loose and soulful lead guitar playing, memorable riffs, as well as his songwriting and lead vocals on Kiss numbers such as “Shock Me” and “Cold Gin.”
