Ace Frehley Says Gene Simmons Saved Him From Drowning…Twice!

Ace Frehley may consider his former bandmates in Kiss "a bunch of dirty rotten whores," but he also admits that he'd be dead twice over via drowning if it weren't for the intervention of one Gene Simmons.

In his new (and highly engrossing) book 'No Regrets,' which comes out this Tuesday (Nov. 1), the guitarist recalls two different occasions where Simmons saved him from drowning. The first incident happened at a hotel room in Atlanta while the band was on a tour. "We were all hanging out poolside, soaking up the sun and enjoying life. I had had one too many beers that evening and shouldn't have been swimming," the five-years sober guitarist remembers.

Thoughts of a an old Bugs Bunny cartoon apparently got Frehley laughing so hard he took in water: "All of a sudden I was hacking and spitting and gulping for air.. 'oh f---..., I'm drowning!" Luckily, 'Dr. Love' was on the case, quickly leaping into the pool and dragging Ace to the surface. "Turns out Gene was actually a certified lifeguard when he was younger. Who knew?"

Frehley declares the event to be "one of the few times that I was happier than a pig in s--- over the fact that Gene was sober." A few years later, Ace ran into trouble again, this time in a hotel bathtub, after downing "several tranquilizers" and forgetting to turn the tap off.  Perhaps alerted by water spilling onto the floors below, Gene and a security guard came to the dozing Frehley's rescue "just as the water level in the tub was about to reach my lips!"

Now, here's where things get kinky. In order to make sure his friend was safe, Simmons decided to spend the night in Ace's room. Tell us this doesn't start to sound like a romance novel: "He tenderly helped me into my bed and tucked me in..."

OK, just kidding, it goes no further.

At least... as far as Ace knows. See, the next morning Frehley had no idea what had happened. "When I saw Gene in the room I said 'What are you doing here?'... He just looked at me in amazement."