ACE FREHLEY's Bandmate RYAN SPENCER COOK Defends Decision To 'Celebrate' Late KISS Legend's Legacy

Ryan Spencer Cook, a member of Ace Frehley's solo band, has responded to apparent criticism from Scot Coogan, Ace Frehley's longest-serving solo-band drummer and lead vocalist since 2006, over the fact that Ryan and three other musicians Ace handpicked for his Australian tour in 2018 — Philip Shouse on bass, Jeremy Asbrock on guitar/vocals, and Christopher Williams on drums — will honor the legendary original KISS guitarist by playing a series of shows where they will perform Frehley's 1978 solo album in full, along with KISS classics.

On April 1, Scot issued a statement in which he said that he had "remained silent intentionally — to give my crew, management, and most importantly Ace's family the time and respect they deserve to grieve without noise, speculation, or opportunism." He added: "I personally feel it is far too soon to perform Ace's music, and I have absolutely no interest in profiting from his name, likeness, or legacy. When the time comes to honor Ace's contributions to rock and roll, it will not be rushed, and it will not be exploited. It will be done the only way that matters — with dignity, respect, and real love."

Earlier today (Friday, April 3), Ryan shared a statement on his social media in apparent direct response to Coogan's post. He wrote: "Grief recognizes neither time nor space. One cannot place a time limit on grief… it's different for everyone. While some are able to navigate through its murky waters quicker than others, some never recover from it at all. But… do you know what DOES in fact have an expiration date? The time that we have here on this Earth. And if you'd like to celebrate something or someone, you do what is right for you. Please… don't let anyone tell you when it's safe, too soon or too late to celebrate someone's life, love and legacy. If your heart's in the right place when doing so, it's a beautiful thing."

In 2018, Asbrock, Cook, Shouse and Williams performed with KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons as the GENE SIMMONS BAND. The foursome were then invited to join Ace's band as Simmons was scheduled to return to KISS to prepare for the "End Of The Road" tour. Asbrock, Cook and Shouse accepted the invitation, but Willams could not do so due to a prior commitment with the German metal band ACCEPT.

"Gene [told Ace], 'If it's okay with them, it's okay with me,'" Asbrock, who played with Frehley for seven years, recalled in an October 2025 interview with Rolling Stone. "Later on, Gene pulled me into his dressing room, and the KISS Kruise was coming up, and he told us that Ace was going to ask us to do the cruise. Then we went to Japan from there with Ace and he asked us to be the band. I joined in September of 2018, so I've held the guitar-player position longer than any musician he's had, consecutively."

Shouse, who played bass in Frehley's solo band from 2018 to 2022 until he took a full-time gig as the guitar player in ACCEPT, told Rolling Stone about the KISS guitar legend: "Ace taught me how to play lead guitar. I was taking guitar lessons and learning the scales, but nothing sounded like music to me. It never made sense until I heard Ace, and that was in 10th grade. When I heard his solos, it all clicked."

Frehley passed away last October at the age of 74. The founding KISS guitarist died of blunt-trauma injuries to his head due to a fall, the Morris County Medical Examiner confirmed in a report. The manner of death was ruled an accident.

According to the report, a CT scan of Frehley's head revealed multiple contusions, bone fractures to the back of his skull, hemorrhages, and a subdural hematoma (the type of bleeding that occurs in a person's brain after a head injury). Additional bruises were found on the musician's hip, thigh, and abdomen. The report also noted that Frehley had suffered a stroke.

A separate toxicology report on Frehley's blood at the time of his death has not yet been released.

Frehley's longtime manager John Ostrosky confirmed to the New York Post that the late KISS icon was laid to rest at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York.

The legendary musician was buried on October 22 following a private memorial on October 21 at Sinatra Memorial Home in Yonkers, New York.

Frehley, whose real name was Paul Daniel Frehley, passed away peacefully surrounded by family in Morristown, New Jersey. He reportedly died nearly two weeks after a second fall at his home, which led to him being placed on life support after a brain bleed. The musician's family made the heartbreaking decision to take him off the ventilator.

Frehley's family confirmed his death, writing in a statement: "We are completely devastated and heartbroken. 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.

"We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others. The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension. Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace's memory will continue to live on forever!"

Ace co-founded KISS with guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley, Gene and drummer Peter Criss in New York City in 1973. Frehley appeared on KISS's first nine albums, and returned for the band's 1998 reunion album, "Psycho Circus", only to leave again. He was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with the rest of KISS's original lineup in 2014.

Frehley first left KISS in 1982. He rejoined in 1996 and parted ways with the band once again in 2002 after the conclusion of KISS's first "farewell tour." Since his departure, guitarist Tommy Thayer had assumed the role of the Spaceman.

Earlier in October, Frehley scrapped the remainder of his previously announced 2025 tour dates due to unspecified "medical issues".

The legendary rocker announced the cancelation two weeks after he pulled out of the Antelope Valley Fair in Lancaster, California after sustaining minor injuries in a fall at his home.

Frehley had a rocky relationship with Simmons and Stanley whom he blamed for exacerbating his abuse of drugs and alcohol because they allegedly minimized his contributions to KISS.

In 2019, Simmons told Guitar World that Frehley and Criss had exited KISS three times, in part because they "weren't carrying their load" and weren't dependable onstage. In response, Frehley called Simmons and Stanley "control freaks, untrustworthy and… too difficult to work with."

Ace said in a 2024 interview that he got sober in 2006 after "10 car accidents" and credited his daughter Monique with inspiring him to give up drinking in 2006.

"My daughter calls me up and goes, 'Dad, I'm not hearing good things about you.' I looked in the mirror and just said, 'Shit — she's right,'" he said. "That evening, I called my sponsor and he took me to an AA meeting, and I've been sober ever since."

Frehley married Jeanette Trerotola in 1978 before they legally separated seven years later but remained married. She survives him, along with their daughter Monique, brother Charles, sister Nancy Salvner, and a number of nieces, nephews and extended family members.