Gene Simmons Says He Wishes He Practiced Tough Love With Former Kiss Members

Gene Simmons told fans at the Kiss Kruise event on Nov. 16 in Las Vegas that he regrets not doing more to help former bandmates Ace Frehley and Peter Criss during their struggles. He wished the band had been smarter when addressing issues.

"If I have any regrets, my hand to God, it's that I sometimes — and I think we all go through this sometimes — wish we were smarter and better at trying to help Ace and Peter have better lives," Simmons said, according to People. The rocker admitted the band avoided confrontation to keep the tours running smoothly.

"Let's just continue doing the tour because you want to get through it for selfish reasons because it's working, and the chicks, and the money, and you don't want to ruin anything," the 76-year-old bassist added. "Meantime, somebody who might be your brother is ruining their life by bad decisions."

Ace Frehley died on Oct. 16 from blunt trauma injuries to his head after a fall. The manner of death was ruled an accident. He was 74.

"We are completely devastated and heartbroken," his loved ones wrote in a statement, per Variety. "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."

The Kiss Kruise event marked the first time Simmons and Stanley performed together since their End of the Road tour ended in New York in December 2023. The three-day celebration at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas drew more than 2,000 fans from 32 countries.

Paul Stanley led a candle-lit tribute to Ace Frehley before the acoustic set on Nov. 14. The band performed stripped-down versions of songs, including "Beth" and "Hard Luck Woman" with Eric Singer on drums.