Kiss founding member Ace Frehley, the rock band’s original lead guitarist, has died aged 74.

He passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, in Morristown, New Jersey, his agent said.

He had suffered a recent fall.

A statement from the rocker’s family said they were “completely devastated and heartbroken”.

New York-born Frehley was Kiss’s guitarist when they started in 1973.

The other members were Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss.

Like his bandmates, Frehley took on a comic book-style persona on stage (he was known as “Spaceman”) and captivated audiences with his elaborate makeup and smoke-filled guitar.

The band’s shows were known for fireworks, smoke, and eruptions of fake blood, while the stars sported platform boots, black wigs, and – of course – the iconic black and white face paint.

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Especially popular in the mid-1970s, Kiss’s hits include Rock And Roll All Nite and Detroit Rock City.

They sold tens of millions of records and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.

‘Irreplaceable’

Frehey’s family said they would “cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others”.

Criss posted a simple tribute on X, describing his shock. He added: “My friend… I love you!”. A photograph of Frehley, smiling in his “Spaceman” makeup, accompanied the message.

Meanwhile Stanley and Simmons described him as an “essential and irreplaceable rock soldier”.

Paying tribute, the duo said they were “devastated” by his death.

Frehley’s Kiss career first ended in 1982, before he returned for a reunion tour in 1996, staying on until 2002. He also released several solo albums.

He is survived by his wife Jeanette and daughter Monique.

Sam Fender has won the 2025 Mercury Prize for his album People Watching.

The announcement was made during the award ceremony in Newcastle on Thursday night, marking the event’s debut outside of London.

Jubilant crowds cheered hometown hero Sam Fender, from North Shields, who triumphed over competitors including Britpop legends Pulp, Irish artist CMAT, and post-punk group Fontaines DC.

DJ Lauren Laverne hosted the event, while judge Sian Eleri announced the 31-year-old’s win at the Utilita Arena, following performances by several nominees, including FKA Twigs and Martin Carthy.

Judge Eleri said: “After much hard discussion, we decided on one album that stood out for its cohesion, character, and ambition.

“It felt like a classic album, one that will take pride of place in record collections for years to come.”

Accepting the award, Fender expressed gratitude to the other nominees, saying, “we’re in great company”.

He dedicated the prize to his late friend and mentor, Annie Orwin, who inspired the album’s title track.

“I want to just say thank you because I never did to the person, the song that People Watching is about,” Fender said, becoming emotional.

“I want to dedicate it to Annie Orwin who’s up there.

“That’s all I’ve got thank you, and I love, this region is the best region in the country.”

Among other nominated artists were Pulp, Wolf Alice, FKA Twigs, PinkPantheress, Pa Salieu, Emma-Jean Thackray, Jacob Alon, Joe Webb and Martin Carthy.

If Wolf Alice or Pulp had won the prize, they would have become only the second artist to have won the award twice after PJ Harvey, who won it with Stories From The City in 2001 and Let England Shake in 2011.

Pulp won the prize in 1996 with their album Different Class, while Wolf Alice won with Visions Of A Life in 2018.

Established in 1992, the award honours the best album released by a British or Irish artist each year.

Last year, the indie quartet English Teacher took home the prize for their debut album This Could Be Texas.

Fender had been nominated before in 2022 for his album Seventeen Going Under.

The BBC has said Gregg Wallace is not “entitled to any damages” in response to a High Court claim filed by the presenter – in which he says the broadcaster caused him “distress and harassment”.

The former MasterChef presenter is suing the broadcaster and its subsidiary BBC Studios Distribution Limited after he was sacked from the cooking show in July.

Wallace was dismissed after an investigation into historical allegations of misconduct upheld multiple accusations against him.

He has filed a legal claim for up to £10,000 in damages, alleging the BBC failed to comply with a request for copies of his personal data, which caused “distress and harassment”.

In its defence filed at the High Court, Jason Pobjoy KC, for the BBC, said: “It is denied that the claimant has suffered any distress or harassment as a result of the responses of the BBC.

“It is denied that the claimant is entitled to any damages, interest or other relief, whether as pleaded or otherwise.”

The broadcaster further denied that Wallace “has suffered any distress or harassment” as a result of its responses.

The court documents also claim that the presenter failed to give the BBC prior notice of his intention to issue legal proceedings.

The broadcaster has admitted Wallace wrote to it on 6 March this year, asking for copies of his personal data.

Mr Pobjoy said the BBC did not provide Wallace with a “substantive response” within three months of his request “primarily due to the lack of proportionality and scale”.

He said that after designating the request as complex, the BBC responded to Wallace on 7 October and provided him with a copy of his personal data.

The barrister said the “voluntary disclosure demonstrates that the claimant has no basis to claim damages for distress, or otherwise, in respect of the withholding of such information”.

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Court documents filed on behalf of Wallace last month said the BBC emailed the presenter on 7 August to apologise for the delay in sending his personal data.

Barrister Lawrence Power said the broadcaster told Wallace it was “taking all reasonable steps” to process the request in “as timely a manner as possible going forward”, but that he had still not received a response when the court documents were filed.

He said that by “failing to fully comply with the subject access requests” made by Wallace, “the defendants acted in breach of their statutory duty and, in doing so, caused distress and harassment to the claimant”.

Wallace began co-presenting MasterChef in 2005, but it was announced in November 2024 that he would step away from his role while the misconduct allegations were investigated.

A review by law firm Lewis Silkin later upheld 45 of the 83 allegations against him, including one of “unwelcome physical contact”.

Wallace issued an apology, saying he was “deeply sorry for any distress caused” and that he “never set out to harm or humiliate”.