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Frehley of Kiss attends the posthumous induction of legendary metal guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott into Hollywood’s RockWalk held at the Guitar Center in Hollywood on May 17, 2007. Starfrenzy /Bigstock.com
Birth Name: Paul Daniel Frehley
Date of Birth: April 27, 1951
Place of Birth: The Bronx, New York City, New York, U.S.
Date of Death: October 16, 2025
Place of Death: Morristown, New Jersey, U.S.
Ethnicity: German
Ace Frehley was an American musician. He was the guitarist and occasional lead vocalist for, and a founding member of, rock band Kiss. The band’s original line-up also included Peter Criss, Gene Simmons , and Paul Stanley . He was also a member of hard rock band Frehley’s Comet. He was also known as The Spaceman, Space Ace, and Socks.
Ace was the son of Esther Anna (Hecht) and Carl Daniel Friebely/Frehley, an electrical engineer. His father was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, of Pennsylvania Dutch (German) descent. His mother was born in North Carolina, to German parents. Ace was raised Lutheran.
Ace was sometimes described as having had Cherokee Native American ancestry. This was not accurate.
Ace’s paternal grandfather was Charles Daniel Friebely/Friebly (the son of Daniel William Friebely/Friebly and Ellen Catherine Hoch). Charles was born in Douglassville, Berks County, Pennsylvania. Ace’s great-grandfather Daniel was born in Plainfield Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, the son of Christian Friederich Friebely, who was born in Wössingen, Ostalbkreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany; and of Mary Ann Ernst, whose paternal grandfather was from Upper Palatinate, Germany. Ace’s great-grandmother Ellen was born in Pennsylvania, the daughter of James Hoch and Matilda Fehnel.
Ace’s paternal grandmother was Anna May Huff (the daughter of Matthias/Mathias S. Huff and Mary E. Nicholas). Anna was born in Bloomsburg, Berks County, Pennsylvania, or New Jersey. Mary was born in Williams Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, the daughter of George Nicholas and Mary Deemer.
Ace’s maternal grandfather was Robert Carl Wilhelm Hecht (the son of Ernst Albert Theodor Hecht and Johanna Franziska Elise Blauert). Robert was born in Rügen, Rügen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Ernst was the son of Johann Gustav Hecht and Marie Henriette von Creplin.
Ace’s maternal grandmother was Charlotte Wilhelmine Roeth (the daughter of Jacob/Jakob Wilhelm/William Roeth/Röth and Charlotte Elisabethe Girm/Grimm). Ace’s grandmother Charlotte was born in Steeden, Landkreis Limburg-Weilburg, Hessen.
Sources: Genealogies of Ace Frehley – https://www.geni.com https://www.findagrave.com https://www.wikitree.com