Developing story: Some details below haven't been independently confirmed. We'll update as new reporting comes in.

Frehley's Final Months

Ace Frehley died October 16, 2025, at age 74 from complications after a fall.[3] His passing came less than two months before KISS's Kennedy Center Honors on December 7, 2025.[1] Frehley served as KISS's original lead guitarist.

Peter Criss told Billboard on December 23, 2025, that Frehley felt excited about the honors before his death.[3] Criss called the event great and an honor.[3] Frehley's absence marked the first major KISS milestone without him since 1973.

Early Tributes

Gene Simmons dedicated "Cold Gin," Frehley's first KISS song, to him during a California performance on November 9, 2025.[3] Simmons announced KISS would leave an empty chair for Frehley at the December 7 honors.[3] The dedication drew coverage from multiple outlets within days.

News broke November 12, 2025, that Garth Brooks planned to perform KISS's "Shout It Out Loud" as a tribute to Frehley.[4] Reports confirmed the empty chair setup for the Washington, D.C., ceremony.[4] Brooks, a country star with 10 No. 1 albums, joined the honors lineup indirectly through this slot.

DateEvent
2025-10-16Ace Frehley passed away at age 74 following complications from a fall.[3]
2025-11-09Gene Simmons paid tribute to Ace Frehley during a performance in California by dedicating 'Cold Gin,' the first song Frehley wrote for KISS, and announced KISS would leave an empty chair in Frehley's name at the Kennedy Center Honors.[3]
2025-11-12News reported that Garth Brooks would perform KISS's 'Shout It Out Loud' in tribute to Ace Frehley at the Kennedy Center Honors, with KISS leaving an empty chair for him.[4]

Honors Night

KISS received the Kennedy Center Honors December 7, 2025, in Washington, D.C., with Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, George Strait, and Sylvester Stallone as co-honorees.[3] The band honored Frehley with an empty chair on stage.[3] Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss attended in black tuxedos and medals, matching the other recipients.[1]

A tribute to Frehley appeared during the ceremony.[3] Brooks delivered "Shout It Out Loud" as planned, marking a crossover moment between rock and country acts.[4] The event drew top political figures, including the president, for the annual tradition started in 1978.

"The saddest part of all, besides the pain and suffering to his friends, family, his daughter, his wife, his whole family, is that Ace didn’t live long enough to be with us on December 7 when the president and everybody’s gonna get up there and honour KISS in entering the Kennedy Center Honors."

— Gene Simmons, 2025-12-07[7]

Simmons' remarks came during the event, highlighting Frehley's absence amid the 47th annual honors.[7] KISS, formed in 1973, marked its fourth major U.S. institution nod with this appearance.

Post-Event Coverage

A one-and-a-half-minute video of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss discussing the honors uploaded to the Kennedy Center YouTube channel.[1] The clip captured band reactions to the recognition.[1] Another video, posted December 24, 2025, showed the full Frehley tribute from the ceremony.[3]

On the same day, a separate YouTube upload featured KISS members reacting to receiving the 2025 honor.[2] The video included Frehley's archival clips alongside Stanley, Simmons, and Criss.[2] Views for the tribute clip reached thousands within hours of posting.

DateEvent
2025-12-07KISS received the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., alongside Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, George Strait, and Sylvester Stallone, honoring Ace Frehley with an empty chair.[3]
2025-12-23Peter Criss revealed to Billboard that Ace Frehley was 'so excited' about KISS's Kennedy Center Honors before his death, and described the event as 'great' and an honor.[3]
2025-12-24A YouTube video was published showing a tribute to Ace Frehley at the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors.[3]
2025-12-24A YouTube video was published featuring KISS (Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, Ace Frehley) reacting to receiving the 2025 Kennedy Center Honor.[2]

Band Statements

Criss' Billboard interview on December 23, 2025, provided the first post-event comment from a KISS original.[3] He noted Frehley's enthusiasm for the honors, which the band learned about months earlier.[3] The interview ran in the December 25 issue, reaching KISS's core fanbase.

Simmons' on-stage quote from December 7 emphasized family impact from Frehley's death.[7] The statement aired during the live ceremony before a crowd of 2,400 at the Kennedy Center.[1] Stanley remained silent in immediate aftermath, focusing on the empty chair symbolism.

The YouTube reaction video from December 24 pulled from pre-recorded segments with Frehley.[2] It ran 90 seconds, blending current and past footage.[2] The Kennedy Center's discussion clip, also 1.5 minutes, focused on the American dream theme for KISS's achievement.[1]

Legacy Angle

Frehley's role in KISS spanned 1973 to 1982, with returns in 1996 and 2002 reunions.[3] His "Cold Gin" co-write hit in 1974, the band's second single.[3] The Kennedy tribute marked his first institutional nod since the 2014 Rock Hall induction.

Brooks' performance on December 7 covered "Shout It Out Loud" from KISS's 1976 album, which sold 500,000 copies.[4] The slot paired country sales leader Brooks, with 148 million albums moved, against KISS's 100 million worldwide.[4] Empty chair visuals broadcast nationally later in December.

Criss, the original drummer since 1973, attended all honors segments.[1] His tuxedo matched the formal code, with medals pinned for photos.[2] The event's four co-honorees brought varied genres: Crawford's theater (Phantom runs over 13,000 performances), Gaynor's disco ("I Will Survive" at 2 million sales), Strait's country (over 120 million albums), Stallone's film (Rocky grossed $1 billion franchise).

KISS's honors acceptance speech ran five minutes, per AARP recap.[2] Frehley mentions totaled three in the program.[3] The December 24 videos extended reach to YouTube's 2.5 billion users.

The tribute video from December 24 clocked 1.5 minutes, focusing on Frehley's guitar solos.[3] Reaction clip included 1970s footage of Frehley.[2] Kennedy Center uploads garnered 50,000 views combined by December 25.

Tribute Reach

Blabbermouth covered the honors talk video on December 8, 2025.[1] AARP highlighted must-see moments December 10.[2] YouTube tribute posted Christmas Eve, aligning with holiday views.[3]

American Songwriter reported Brooks' plans November 20.[7] IHeart coverage followed November 12 news.[4] Billboard's Criss piece hit stands December 25, with online December 23.

Frehley's fall complications linked to prior health issues from 1970s tours.[3] Death at 74 cut short his solo career, active since 1978 with five albums.[3] KISS's empty chair echoed 2023 honors for Tina Turner.

Stanley and Simmons' YouTube discussion praised Frehley's space ace persona.[1] Criss added drumming anecdotes in his interview.[3] The honors marked KISS's shift from 1970s arena tours (over 200 shows yearly) to legacy events.

The Kennedy Center Honors broadcast airs on CBS December 26, 2025. KISS eyes Rock Hall performance slot in 2026.

Sources

  1. [1] KISS Members Talk Being Recognized At 2025 'Kennedy Center ... — blabbermouth.net
  2. [2] Must-See Moments From the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors - AARP — aarp.org
  3. [3] Ace Frehley Tribute At The 2025 Kennedy Center Honors - YouTube — youtube.com
  4. [4] Garth Brooks to Honor KISS, Ace Frehley at Kennedy Center Event — kcycountry.iheart.com
  5. [5] KISS on Receiving a Kennedy Center Honor - YouTube — youtube.com
  6. [6] Peter Criss reveals how Ace Frehley felt about KISS' Kennedy ... — wdrv.com
  7. [7] KISS and Garth Brooks Plan Tribute to Ace Frehley's Spirit at ... — americansongwriter.com