News editors who had to flip a coin in order to decide whether to devote their energies to covering the latest meltdown by Britney Spears or the suicide of longtime Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley are probably breathing a sigh of relief right about now -- since the latter event never took place after all.

Space Ace, who was apparently left for dead yesterday by a passel of rumor-mongerers, responded to rumors of his demise by issuing a press release trumpeting his continued ability to breathe, and implied he was even still capable of handling the six-string -- by promising the imminent delivery of his "highly anticipated" solo album.

The guitarist jokes that he's used a regimen of wheat germ and treadmill running to stay in fighting shape in the three decades since he got back in the 'N.Y. Groove' on his last solo effort, but we'd venture that being hermetically sealed in three inches of makeup for much of that time probably helped matters considerably. Just look at 77-year-old Sharon Stone if you don't believe us.