DAVID ELLEFSON: 'ACE FREHLEY Passing Is On The Level Of EDDIE VAN HALEN Passing. He Was That Influential'

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson spoke about the passing of KISS legend Ace Frehley. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, [that was] a sad moment, for sure. Ace Frehley passing is on the level of Eddie Van Halen passing. He was that influential — a different guitar player, of course. AceandEddie, they not only made us wanna become musicians, they made us wanna become rock stars. And I think that's the difference. KISS made you wanna go to the next level, and KISS, with their manager Bill Aucoin in those early days, they created something that was just unreachable, and, to some degree, still is."

He continued: "Now we've got GHOST, we've got SLEEP TOKEN, we've got TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, so there's artists out there kind of doing what KISS has done, of course, but when you're the first one doing it, and even KISS when they ended it, it was still the biggest thing out there. They were still doing stuff that it's, like, God, only KISS would [have] three guys come down from the ceiling on their platforms. And they've still got the boots and the whole thing. I mean, there's just no replacing what they have done for all of us in our lives."

Circling back to Ace's passing later in the interview, David said:  "It's sad news. You think about it, though. He was — what? — 74, I think. So 74 Ace Frehley years, that's like 77 Ozzy Osbourne years. These are guys that were true rock and rollers in every sense. So the fact that our beloved heroes have been with us this long is something, I think, we all should be thankful for as well, 'cause they certainly gave us a lot."

Reflecting on his friendship with Frehley, Ellefson said: "Ace and I became friends — not close friends. We had each other's cell phone [numbers]. I'd usually text him every year for his birthday, and me and Frank Bello [ANTHRAX] would text him because [Ace] played a solo [on the song 'Late'] on our ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE record, which we were super grateful for. [He was] clearly our hero. KISS is the reason I'm even here talking to you. For me, 'Destroyer' was the first record I bought; I bought it on cassette. And KISS 'Alive!' right after that. And then I went back and I listened to 'Dressed To Kill', 'Hotter Than Hell', the first album, et cetera. And I remained a diehard KISS fan pretty much through KISS 'Alive II'. And then I did not buy 'Dynasty', of all things. And then I kind of moved on. VAN HALEN came into my life, and then BOSTON and then I kind of started getting into STYX, 'The Grand Illusion', the RAMONES' 'Rocket To Russia', I started getting into some other stuff. But those formative years — I mean, KISS were my BEATLES, in the same way THE BEATLES were THE BEATLES for KISS. And I love Gene Simmons's bass playing. In fact, just today I was listening to 'Cold Gin' and some stuff off of KISS 'Alive!' and thinking, 'God, this guy's just a masterful bass player, man' — while spitting blood and breathing fire and doing all the rest of it."

Last year, Ellefson told Ultimate Guitar that he thought Frehley's latest solo album, "10,000 Volts", was exceptional. "Ace stepped up; he really delivered," David said. "That's the best thing I've heard from Ace since his solo album in 1978, when they still had the make-up on."

"I always thought that [Ace] had the best solo record [of the original solo albums from the KISS members]," Ellefson added. "Paul's [Stanley] was probably the next right behind it with some good stuff. But Paul was so prolific that anything he did sounded like KISS. Because in a lot of ways, he is the sound of KISS. His voice, his style of writing. And obviously, Gene has his flavor. But I always felt there was this whole other world of Ace that finally once his solo album came out, we heard it. We heard it on 'Shock Me', 'Rocket Ride', and the solo album. So, '10,000 Volts', I was so happy to hear what a great record that is."

Ace died on Thursday (October 16) at the age of 74. The news of his passing came just hours after TMZ reported that Ace was hospitalized on life support after he suffered a brain bleed when he took a fall in his studio a couple of weeks earlier.

Frehley, whose real name was Paul Daniel Frehley, passed away peacefully surrounded by family in Morristown, New Jersey.

TMZ reported earlier on Thursday that Frehley was on life support. He had to cancel his tour dates and his condition had not improved after suffering from a brain bleed from the fall.

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, bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons 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.

Photo credit: Maciej Pieloch (courtesy of Napalm Records)