Ace is gone.

He was supposed to survive every pratfall, every explosion, every chemical snowstorm. He’d made it through the shocks, the falls, the car crash, the highspeed chase in his DeLorean—so none of us thought this could be the last act. But this time, the Spaceman finally left orbit. What could possibly take him down? I’m still trying to unravel that.

While always considered the clown prince of KISS, Ace Frehley actually had the highest IQ in the band. Despite the preening, the blood-spitting, and the levitating drum set, it was Ace who perennially topped the polls as the most beloved member of KISS.

He was the Spaceman with both feet on the ground, a rock star who never stopped being a fan. He made the impossible look easy and the easy look impossible. For all the fireworks and flashbulbs, what people loved about him was simple: He was real.