The members of Rush are looking back on their time touring as an opener for Kiss in the Seventies. Following Ace Frehley‘s death on Thursday, Oct. 16, Rush shared a tribute to the Kiss guitarist, calling him an “undeniable character.”
“Absolutely stunned and saddened by the news Ace Frehley has tragically passed away,” the band wrote on Instagram. “Back in 1974, as the opening act for KISS, Alex, Neil and myself spent many a night hanging out together in his hotel room after shows, doing whatever nonsense we could think of, just to make him break out his inimitable and infectious laugh.”
The band added, “He was an undeniable character and an authentic rock star. RIP Ace .. thanks for welcoming us newbies into the rock and roll world.”
Rush‘s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson previously shared stories from their tour with Kiss (and especially Frehley) in a documentary, Time Stand Still, back in 2016. While on the road, Lifeson used to dress as “The Bag” — placing a paper bag over his head and putting his hands through his pants to entertain his bandmates and Frehley.
“Gene was very, very upset with the Bag,” Lifeson recalled in the documentary. “And that made Ace even happier.”
“Gene was straight,” Lee added at the time. “He wasn’t high like we were. He had a different sense of reality when he came into Ace’s room. We were drinking and smoking and generally being idiots.”
Frehley died in Morristown, New Jersey, at age 74. Lori Lousararian, Frehley’s rep, attributed his death to a “recent fall at his home,” though a specific cause of death was not immediately available. “We are completely devastated and heartbroken,” Frehley’s family said in a statement. “In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth.”