GENE SIMMONS Tells His Side Of ACE FREHLEY's Near-Drownings, Says Guitarist 'Didn't Even Know It Happened'

For 15 years, KISS fans have known Ace Frehley's version. In his 2011 memoir, "No Regrets", the iconic guitarist credited KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons with saving him from drowning twice: once in a hotel pool, once in an overflowing hotel bathtub. Now Simmons is telling his side, and it doesn't all match.

On a new episode of EPIC Event Center's "Behind The Curtain" podcast, co-hosted by "That Metal Show"'s Don Jamieson and EPIC's Ryan Vander Sanden, Simmons recounts both nights in his own words, in what is believed to be the first time he has told either story publicly.

The biggest revelation: Simmons says the bandmate he pulled from the pool wasn't Frehley at all. It was Peter Criss, while Frehley was passed out poolside and "didn't even know it happened."

Simmons says Frehley called him, after years out of touch, to ask him to read a chapter of "No Regrets" before it came out. "Tell me if it's true," Frehley said, "because I don't remember all this stuff."

As Simmons remembers the chapter, a tipsy Frehley dives into a hotel pool, and Simmons, a former lifeguard, swims out, hauls him up, turns him over and pumps the water out of him. (The published book sets the scene at an Atlanta hotel.) "In essence," Simmons says of the chapter, "saved his life."

Frehley thanked him and asked if it was accurate.

"I'm going, well, you know what? It was 99% accurate," Simmons recalls. "But what 1% wasn't accurate? I said, well, it wasn't you. It was Peter Criss. You were passed out on the side. You didn't even know it happened."

The rescue was real. Frehley had simply written himself into Criss's place.

Frehley's account has been in print since 2011. Simmons's correction is new: this is believed to be the first time he has publicly named Criss as the bandmate he saved.

The second story goes back to KISS's earliest tours, when the band opened for bigger acts and couldn't afford separate rooms. Simmons roomed with Frehley, he explains, "because Paul couldn't stand being with Ace."

One night Simmons headed down to the hotel bar. A roadie soon came looking for him: fog was pouring from under Frehley's door, the door was hot to the touch, music was booming and no one was answering. "I hope he's not passed out or dead," Simmons remembers thinking.

They broke the door down. Steam hung from the ceiling. Frehley was unconscious in the tub, hot water running "right under his nose," with a high-powered boom box perched where one tip would have electrocuted him. "Kids today have no idea what a boom box is," Simmons adds.

They carried him to the bed, only for Frehley to roll off onto the floor in the dark. The next morning, Simmons says, Frehley woke up asking what happened last night, and why the door was broken.

Frehley described a bathtub rescue in "No Regrets" and again in a 2020 Loudwire interview, saying Simmons broke through the door and pulled him out. Simmons's telling adds details fans haven't heard before: the boom box, the fog pouring from under the door and the roadie who raised the alarm.

"Rest in peace, Gene's old roommate," the episode signs off.

Frehley died on October 16, 2025, at age 74.

Both clips and the full episode are available on YouTube, Facebook and wherever you listen to podcasts.

"Behind The Curtain" is the podcast from EPIC Event Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin, taking listeners backstage with the artists who play its stage. Launched in 2025, it is co-hosted by Don Jamieson, comedian and co-host of VH1's "That Metal Show", and Ryan Vander Sanden, general manager of EPIC Event Center. Guests have included Gene Simmons, Wolfgang Van Halen, Johnny Van Zant and Chad Gray.

EPIC Event Center opened its doors in 2021 and hasn't slowed down since. Nowhere else in the Midwest will you find a live experience to rival EPIC Event Center. With more than 25,000 square feet, EPIC delivers an incredible experience for all those that step foot in EPIC. Offering an array of entertainment for up to 2,100 guests, sightlines are great, the acoustics incredible and the 72-foot bar is second to none. A spacious GA main floor with a raised ADA platform, along with a two-tiered mezzanine — that is general admission but also features 75 reservable seats — means there are many options for concert goers to choose from when selecting a ticket. Specializing in live events, EPIC can also be rented for your private function. A great space, ample and free parking and a knowledgeable staff will help make your private event special.