Late guitarist Ace Frehley once discussed the financial impact of his departure from KISS. According to a resurfaced interview from Musicians Institute, Frehley explained the circumstances that led to his decision to leave the iconic rock band in the early 1980s.
Frehley described his time in KISS during the 1970s as an overwhelming experience. Constant touring, substance abuse, and exhaustion marked this period. He revealed that despite the band’s success, his mental health was deteriorating.
“KISS in the ’70s was just like this roller-coaster ride for me. I was holding on for dear life. We were just constantly busy, and the drugs and the alcohol and all the partying in conjunction with that type of schedule just started to get to me. By the early ’80s, I just wanted to jump off the roller coaster because I thought I was going to crash,” Frehley said.
The guitarist explained that when he consulted with his lawyer about leaving the band, he faced a difficult choice. At that time, KISS had just secured a $15 million contract. However, Frehley’s personal well-being was at stake.
“I was sitting in my lawyer’s office prior to quitting the band. We had just gotten a $15 million contract. I’m talking to my lawyer, going, ‘$15 million, that’s great, but every night I drive home to Connecticut, I want to drive my car into a tree because I’m not happy.’ He goes, ‘Okay, Ace, I hear that, but it’s $15 million.’ After about a half an hour I said, ‘Look, you cannot spend money six feet under,’” Frehley recalled.
Frehley’s departure had significant financial consequences for the remaining band members. The contract terms required at least three of the four original KISS members to remain in the band. Since Peter Criss had already left, Frehley’s exit triggered a clause that cut the contract in half.
“Unfortunately, when I left, they lost $7.5 million, which I feel bad about because the contract stated at least three of the four [original] members had to be in the band. They [had already] let Peter [Criss, drums] go, so when I decided to quit, I cut the contract in half and it went from $15 million to $7.5 [million]. I think they were a little mad at me about that,” he said.