Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley Pay Tribute to KISS Co-Founder Ace Frehley After His Death: ‘An Irreplaceable Rock Soldier’

Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are paying tribute to their KISS co-founder Ace Frehley, who died at 74 on Thursday, Oct. 16.

“We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley,” Simmons, 76, and Stanley, 73, told PEOPLE in a joint statement Thursday. “He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history.”

“He is and will always be a part of KISS’s legacy,” they added before sending condolences to Frehley’s estranged wife Jeanette Trerotola, his daughter Monique Frehley and “all those who loved him, including our fans around the world.”

Frehley’s family announced his death in a statement shared with PEOPLE on Thursday, saying the rocker died earlier that day in Morristown, N.J., following a recent fall at his home.

“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,” his family said.

“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,” the statement concluded.

TMZ previously reported that the rocker was on life support due to a brain bleed caused by a fall several weeks ago.

Frehley told fans about the fall in a statement shared to Instagram on Sept. 25, writing at the time that he would need to cancel a performance scheduled for the next day in Lancaster. Calif.

The statement described the fall as “minor,” and said that the star was “fine,” but could not travel to the show, per doctor’s orders.

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“Ace looks forward to continuing on his tour and finishing work on his next album, Origins Vol. 4,” the statement read.

The founding guitarist of KISS went on to have a successful solo career of his own, including the 1978 hit “New York Groove.”