Overview
- President Trump presented the medals in the Oval Office on Dec. 6, a break from past practice in which presidents typically did not host the awards.
- Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss appeared together at the Dec. 7 gala at the Kennedy Center and walked the red carpet in a rare public reunion.
- Tributes featured Garth Brooks, Marcus King and Cheap Trick performing KISS songs during the ceremony.
- KISS said the honor would not have been possible without founding guitarist Ace Frehley and noted they were celebrating the milestone while mourning his loss.
- The Morris County Medical Examiner determined Frehley died from blunt head trauma in an accidental fall in October, and Simmons later told the New York Post the death followed “bad decisions.”