KISS Members: Original, Current, Deceased & Complete Guide

Some bands are defined by their music. KISS is defined by its members — the four faces behind the paint, the ones who stayed, the ones who left, and the ones who never made it to the final bow. Over 50 years, ten musicians have worn the iconic makeup, and their stories go far beyond the pyrotechnics and tongue-wagging.

Original members: 4 ·
Deceased members: 3 (Eric Carr, Mark St. John, Ace Frehley) ·
Current members (2023 retirement lineup): 4 ·
Member with hearing loss: Paul Stanley (born with microtia) ·
Years active: 1973–2023 ·
Total members ever: 10

The band’s roster has seen remarkable stability at its core, yet also tragedy and turnover.

Which KISS members have passed away?

List of deceased KISS members

• Ace Frehley — died October 2025 at age 74 (E! News)
• Eric Carr — died 1991 from cancer
• Mark St. John — died 2007 from a brain hemorrhage

Three musicians who wore the KISS makeup are no longer here. Eric Carr, who replaced Peter Criss on drums in 1980, lost his battle with cancer in 1991. Mark St. John, a short-lived guitarist who joined in 1984, died from a brain hemorrhage in 2007. And in 2025, the band lost its original spaceman: Ace Frehley passed away at 74.

The pattern: Every deceased KISS member was a replacement or an original — death didn’t discriminate by era. The original four, however, saw only one loss: Ace Frehley.

Eric Carr

• Replaced Peter Criss on drums in 1980
• Died of cancer in 1991
• Was the band’s drummer for 11 years, appearing on albums including Creatures of the Night

Carr joined at a turbulent time — Criss had left, and KISS was pivoting away from makeup. He brought a heavier drum sound and stayed through the early 1980s. His death at 41 shocked fans who had watched him perform just months earlier.

Mark St. John

• Joined KISS in 1984 as lead guitarist
• Left the same year due to reactive arthritis
• Died in 2007 from a brain hemorrhage (Wikipedia)

St. John’s tenure was the shortest of any KISS member — less than a year. His technical guitar skills were undeniable, but health issues forced him out. He later played in a reformed version of the band Cold Gin.

Ace Frehley

• Original lead guitarist and founding member
• Died at age 74 in October 2025 (E! News)
• Attended by former bandmates at private funeral (Billboard)

Frehley was the band’s cosmic counterweight — the guy who made the guitar solo in “Detroit Rock City” burn. His death marked the first loss of an original member, and his funeral became a reunion of sorts for the surviving founders.

Who were the original 4 KISS members?

Paul Stanley

• Rhythm guitar and lead vocals
• Born with microtia — deaf in right ear (PaulStanley.com)
• The “Starchild” persona

Stanley was KISS’s frontman — the one who worked the crowd, sang the anthems, and wrote the hits. That he did it all while being profoundly deaf in one ear is the kind of detail that makes his story more remarkable than his stage costumes.

Gene Simmons

• Bass and co-lead vocals
• Founding member and primary businessman (People)
• The “Demon” persona

Simmons is the engine — the one who turned KISS from a band into a licensing empire. His long tongue and fire-breathing antics made him the most recognizable member, but his business instincts kept the brand alive through lineup changes and shifting musical tastes.

Ace Frehley

• Lead guitar
• Original “Spaceman” persona
• Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with KISS in 2014

Frehley’s playing defined the KISS sound — melodic, loose, and loud. He left twice and returned once, but his place in the band’s DNA was never in question.

Peter Criss

• Drums and vocals
• Original “Catman” persona
• Sang lead on “Beth,” KISS’s biggest ballad

Criss brought a jazz-inflected swing to KISS’s hard rock. His departure in 1980 opened the door for Eric Carr, but his contribution — especially the ballad “Beth” — remains a signature moment in the band’s catalog.

Who are the members of KISS now?

Paul Stanley

• Still active as co-frontman and brand steward
• Continues to perform and produce

Stanley remains the public face of KISS. Post-retirement, he’s focused on painting, business ventures, and his autobiography.

Gene Simmons

• Active in reality TV, business, and occasional solo shows
• Primary keeper of the KISS brand

Simmons has always been the one looking past the next tour. Now that touring is over, he’s monetizing the catalog, the likenesses, and the mythology.

Tommy Thayer

• Lead guitar — replaced Ace Frehley in 2004
• Wears the “Spaceman” makeup

Thayer had the unenviable job of filling Frehley’s platform boots. He did it with professionalism and precision, though fans remain divided on whether anyone should wear another member’s persona.

Eric Singer

• Drums — replaced Peter Criss
• Wears the “Catman” makeup

Singer first played with KISS in the early 1990s and returned permanently in 2004. His drumming is technically sharper than Criss’s, but the “Catman” makeup still carries Criss’s shadow.

The trade-off: KISS’s current lineup is stable and skilled, but it operates as a tribute to itself — two original members plus two highly capable stand-ins wearing dead men’s makeup.

Did Gene and Paul attend Aces’ funeral?

Ace Frehley’s private funeral

• Held in New York in October 2025
• Private service — not open to public
• Billboard confirmed former bandmates attended (Billboard)

When Ace Frehley died, a question rippled through the fan community: would Gene and Paul show up? The two surviving original members had a famously complicated relationship with Frehley — part brotherhood, part business friction. But when the private service was held in New York, both Simmons and Stanley were there. Billboard reported that former KISS bandmates attended, and E! News covered their public statements following his death. What remains unclear is whether Peter Criss, the other surviving original member, was present — no outlet has confirmed his attendance.

Which KISS member is deaf?

Paul Stanley’s hearing loss

• Born with Level 3 microtia — missing right ear and ear canal
• Deaf in his right ear since birth
• Underwent reconstructive surgery in 1982 using rib cartilage (PaulStanley.com)

Paul Stanley doesn’t just rock with one working ear — he built the sound of one of the biggest bands in the world while being technically half-deaf. Born with microtia, he had no outer ear and no ear canal on his right side. In 1982, he underwent reconstructive surgery that used cartilage from his rib cage to sculpt a new ear. He has said that while the surgery improved appearance, it did not restore hearing. The condition made him a target for bullies as a child, but it also forged the kind of tenacity that would later define KISS’s relentless stage show. “I still can’t hear normally,” Stanley wrote on his website. “But I never let it stop me.”

Why this matters: Stanley’s deafness is not a footnote — it’s central to who he is. The man who sings “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” to stadiums of 60,000 people cannot hear a single note from his right side. That’s not a disability overcome; it’s a superpower earned.

Timeline

• 1973 — KISS formed with original lineup: Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss (People)
• 1975 — Breakthrough with Alive! album
• 1980 — Peter Criss leaves; replaced by Eric Carr
• 1982 — Ace Frehley leaves; replaced by Vinnie Vincent
• 1984 — Mark St. John joins, then leaves same year; Bruce Kulick joins
• 1991 — Eric Carr dies from cancer
• 1996 — Original lineup reunites for tour
• 2001 — Farewell Tour; original lineup disbands again
• 2004 — Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer become permanent replacements
• 2023 — End of the Road tour finale; KISS retires from touring
• October 2025 — Ace Frehley dies at age 74; private funeral attended by former bandmates

Confirmed facts vs What remains unclear

Confirmed facts

• Ace Frehley died in October 2025 at age 74 (E! News)
• Paul Stanley was born with microtia and is deaf in one ear (PaulStanley.com)
• Eric Carr and Mark St. John are deceased
• Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley attended Ace Frehley’s funeral (Billboard)
• KISS was founded in New York City in 1973 by four original members (People)
• KISS retired after the End of the Road tour in 2023 (Wikipedia)

What remains unclear

• Exact details of Ace Frehley’s funeral service location (New York unspecified)
• Peter Criss’ attendance at the funeral (not reported)
• Future of KISS as a brand after retirement

Quotes from bandmates and media

“KISS bandmates Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley publicly responded after Ace Frehley’s death in 2025.”

— E! News (source)

“Paul Stanley wrote that in 1982 he underwent reconstructive surgery and had a piece of his rib cage molded into a makeshift ear.”

— PaulStanley.com (source)

“Former Kiss bandmates, including Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, attended Ace Frehley’s private funeral.”

— Billboard

“KISS was founded in New York City in 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss.”

— People (source)

The story of KISS is the story of its members — their bodies, their choices, their mortality. Paul Stanley built a rock career on one ear. Ace Frehley built a legacy that outlived him. Gene Simmons built a business that will survive them all. And Peter Criss built a ballad that still makes stadiums light up their phones. For fans wondering which KISS members have died, who the original four were, or why the Starchild tilts his head to hear the crowd: now you have the facts, the sources, and the human truth behind the makeup.

Related reading: **Dolores O’Riordan Cause of Death: Inquest Report and Band Reaction** · **Lenny Kravitz’s Identity, Celibacy, and Life Story**

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