GENE SIMMONS Tells His Side Of ACE FREHLEY’s Near-Drownings, Says Guitarist ‘Didn’t Even Know It Happened’
Gene Simmons has given his account of two incidents in which he says he helped save KISS bandmate Ace Frehley, adding details that differ from Frehley’s memoir. In the first, Simmons says the person he pulled from a hotel pool was drummer Peter Criss, while Frehley was unconscious nearby and unaware of the rescue.
Simmons said Frehley had asked him to check the pool story before publishing his 2011 memoir, and Simmons told him it was mostly accurate but named the wrong bandmate. On the second incident, Simmons recalled finding Frehley unconscious in an overflowing bathtub after a roadie raised the alarm; a boom box was perched near the water. Frehley had also described that rescue in his memoir and a 2020 interview. He died in October 2025, aged 74.
In short
- Simmons says Peter Criss, not Ace Frehley, was rescued from the pool.
- Frehley was reportedly unconscious in an overflowing bathtub.
- Frehley died in 2025, aged 74.
Explained simply
KISS are an American rock band formed in the early 1970s, known for their elaborate make-up and stage shows. Gene Simmons, the band’s bassist and singer, and Ace Frehley, its original lead guitarist, were among its best-known members; Peter Criss was the original drummer.
Frehley left KISS in 1982, later returned for a period, and wrote about his life in his 2011 memoir. Accounts of past events can differ, and Simmons’s recollections provide another perspective on incidents Frehley had described. They concern the bandmates’ time together and their personal history, rather than the band’s music.