Ace Frehley’s Death Was Due to His ‘Bad Decisions,’ Gene Simmons Says: ‘You Reap What You Shall Sow’

Gene Simmons is spitting on the grave of banished Kiss bandmate Ace Frehley by suggesting the reformed addict’s “bad decisions” contributed to his death from a fall-related brain bleed — even though the famed guitarist had been outspoken about being sober since 2006, sources say.

Frehley died at age 74 on Oct. 16 when his loved ones made the difficult decision to take him off life support following his tragic tumble down the stairs at his home studio in Morristown, N.J.

The medical examiner determined the “New York Groove” singer’s cause of death was blunt trauma injury of the head due to an accidental fall.

Yet Simmons, 76, told New York Post, “He refused [advice] from people that cared about him — including yours truly — to try to change his lifestyle. In and out of bad decisions. Falling down the stairs — I’m not a doctor — doesn’t kill you. There may have been other issues, and it breaks my heart. The saddest thing — you reap what you shall sow unfortunately.”

Frehley didn’t pull any punches when discussing Simmons during his life, calling Gene “an a**hole and a sex addict” who “groped my wife.”

Frehley’s tenure in Kiss ended in 1982, two years after drummer Peter Criss left.

Simmons once said both men were booted “for drugs, alcohol, bad behavior, being unprofessional [and] not carrying their load.”

In 2014, original members Gene, Ace, Peter and Paul Stanley were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. While the group attended the event, they did not perform because Simmons and Stanley, 73, allegedly didn’t want Frehley and Criss, 80, to be part of their set.

At the time, Criss reportedly said: “I won’t be disrespected. How can you put me in the Hall of Fame and then tell me to sit in the corner while another guy puts on my makeup and plays?”

The first Kiss lineup was recently awarded Kennedy Center Honors on Dec. 7 by President Donald Trump.

Speaking of Frehley’s death, Simmons says, “Saddest of all perhaps is that Ace just couldn’t stay alive long enough to sit there proudly at the Kennedy Center and listen to … really impressive people, just to say how much Kiss meant to them.”

Gene later apologized for his remarks, writing on X, “I was wrong for using the words I used. I humbly apologize. My hand to God I didn’t intend to hurt Ace or his legacy … I’ve always loved Ace.”