“Without him, I don’t know whether I would’ve ever wanted to play guitar”: Tom Morello on why Ace Frehley is his ultimate guitar hero – and why he owes him a “life debt”

As the guitar world continues to pay tribute to the late Ace Frehley and the immense legacy he left behind, Tom Morello has honored the Spaceman by sharing how the late Kiss guitarist inspired his musical journey.

On the October 17 episode of SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, Morello discussed why Frehley was – and still is – his ultimate guitar hero, despite his own playing sounding “nothing like Ace.”

“Kiss was the band that made me love rock and roll, and he was the lead guitar player of that band,” he says matter-of-factly [transcribed by Blabbermouth]

“I mean, without him, I don't know whether I would've ever wanted to play guitar. It was totally formative. Kiss was the supernova that made me light up and think, ‘Oh, this is something I might wanna do for the rest of my life.’”

He continues, “And the lead guitarist of that band, a crucial part of that band, an indispensable part of that band's original chemistry, was Ace Frehley. So I owe not just an artistic debt to him, but just a life debt to him. Every riff that has ever come, every guitar solo that's ever been a part of my life has its origins, the DNA imprint of Ace Frehley.”

Morello has been vocal about the impact Frehley has had on him, taking to Instagram when the Kiss guitarist's death was announced. “The legendary Space Ace Frehley inspired generations to love rock ’n’ roll and love rock ’n’ roll guitar playing,” he wrote.

“His timeless riffs and solos, the billowing smoke coming from his Les Paul, the rockets shooting from his headstock, his cool spacey onstage wobble and his unforgettable crazy laugh will be missed but will never be forgotten. Thank you, Ace for a lifetime of great music and memories.”

Since Frehley's death, a plethora of guitarists have come out and paid their respects, including Nuno Bettencourt, Steve Vai, and Slash, to name a select few.

Guitar World scribe Andrew Daly, who spoke to Frehley on a number of occasions over the past few years, also looked back on why Ace was the true embodiment of rock ‘n’ roll spirit.