David Ellefson Says Ace Frehley Has The Same Influence As Eddie Van Halen

JAKARTA - Former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson expressed his deep sorrow for the death of the KISS legend, Ace Frehley, citing his influence as equal to that of Eddie Van Halen.

Ellefson compared the departure of the original Kiss guitarist as a very sad moment.

"Yes, (it was) a sad moment, of course. Ace Frehley died at the same level as the death of Eddie Van Halen," Ellefson said in a recent interview with Meltdown from the Detroit WRIF radio station.

"He's a very influential guitar player who's different, of course," continued Ellefson.

According to him, figures like Ace and Eddie not only evoked the desire of many people to become musicians, but also sparked a desire to become a rock star.

"And in my opinion that's the difference. Kiss makes you want to step to the next level. And Kiss, with their manager Bill Aucoin in those early days, they created something really out of reach, and to some extent, that's still the case," he explained.

He continued that even though there are now bands like Ghost, Sleep Token, or Trans-Siberian Orchestra trying to imitate what Kiss, the band from New York, has still been the first to do so. In fact, when Kiss decides to end his journey, they remain the biggest entity.

"They're still doing things that, 'Oh my God, only Kisses will (make) three people get off the ceiling on their platform.' And they still have boots and all kinds of things. I mean, what they've done for all of us in our lives, it can never be replaced, "said Ellefson.

When he returned to discussing Ace's departure, Ellefson said, "This is sad news. But try you think. How old is he? '74 years old, I think. So, 74 years old Ace Frehley, it's like 77 years old Ozzy Osbourne. They are truly rock and rollers in every way. So, the fact that the heroes we love have been with us all along is something that, in my opinion, we all should be grateful too, because they have clearly given us a lot of things."

Furthermore, Ellefson also remembers his friendship with Frehley, who, although not very close, is quite close.

"Ace and I are friends, not close friends. We have cell phone numbers from each other. I usually send them messages every year for their birthdays," he concluded.