Guitarist and vocalist Jeremy Asbrock, who spent years performing alongside the late Ace Frehley in his solo band, recently opened up about his last interaction with the iconic Kiss founding member.
During a recent guest appearance on the “Metal Mayhem ROC” podcast, the touring musician detailed the heartbreaking timeline of their final conversation. He revealed that he spoke with the legendary guitarist on the phone just 12 hours prior to the devastating fall that ultimately led to his passing, noting how deeply the exchange impacted him.
“Okay, this is pretty heavy, but it’s still a story that I like to tell. I talked to him on the phone 12 hours before he fell. This was after his first fall and I was just checking in because I had not talked to him since. You know he was doing good,” he said (via Alternative Nation).
Detailing the specifics of the brief but meaningful catch-up, he explained that the veteran rocker was focused on his sobriety and had plans for the evening, leaving off on a highly positive note.
“He was going to an AA meeting that night and just like, ‘Okay, well cool, man. I’ll see you next weekend.’ We got off the phone and he messaged me immediately. He said, ‘Man, thanks for the call. It really lifted my spirits.’ I said, ‘Of course, man. I love you.’ Then he messaged me back, you know, love you too, brother. That was the last thing I ever said to Ace. I love you.”
Looking back on the tragic loss of his former boss and friend, the guitarist expressed deep gratitude that their very last words to one another were so affirming. He also emphasized how the sudden tragedy completely shifted his perspective on expressing appreciation to the people in his life.
“It made me not shy about telling people that more often because man, you never know when that’s the last time. I feel really good that the last thing I ever said to Ace and the last thing he ever heard me or read me say to him was, I love you.”
Ace Frehley, born Paul Daniel Frehley, passed away peacefully on October 16 at his Morristown, New Jersey home. His death came nearly two weeks after a second fall caused a brain bleed, which required life support. His family made the difficult decision to remove him from the ventilator.
The rock icon was laid to rest on October 22 at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York, close to where he grew up and near the graves of his parents—fulfilling one of his final wishes. A private memorial was held the day before at Sinatra Memorial Home in Yonkers, where Ace lived during the 1980s.
As a founding member of Kiss, Ace Frehley‘s unique guitar style and iconic stage persona were integral to the band’s global success in the 1970s. He played on their first nine albums before departing in 1982, later returning for the band’s massively successful reunion tour in 1996.
