KISS recently received the Kennedy Center Honors at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., but it was without founding guitarist Ace Frehley, who passed away in October.
Frehley knew the band had been chosen for the honor, and his bandmate Peter Criss aka Catman tells Billboard that Frehley was “so excited” about it.
Criss said it was “really hard” for him to be at the ceremony without Frehley, sharing that in a conversation they had before his passing, Frehley expressed his thrill at getting the honor.
“He was like, ‘Wow Cat, I can’t believe we’re getting this award!’” Criss said. “I haven’t heard him that excited for a while. He was getting ready to tour again, working on his new album[.] … He was really up.”
Criss said that when the band was at the White House, “I got to sit next to Ace’s empty chair, where his medal was.” He noted, “I’m still mourning over him. I can’t believe he’s gone. We were extremely close. It’s been very hard.”
As for how Criss felt about being recognized by the Kennedy Center, he told the mag, “It was great. It was an honor.”
And while there has been controversy surrounding President Donald Trump and the changes he made to the Kennedy Center, Criss said he’s “not a political guy” and that he was just proud to be at the White House.
He added, “I’m proud to be an American, and only in America can four guys like us, from the streets, be in the White House getting such a great award.'”
The Kennedy Center Honors ceremony will air Dec. 23 on CBS.
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