Tag: gene simmons

MALIBU—On September 16, Music Row announced that Gene Simmons, the legendary musician, co-founder of the 70s Rock and Roll band, Kiss will be honored with the International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA’s)Lifetime Achievement Award. Simmons will be presented with the award on October 6, at the IEBA Honors and Awards Ceremony at the Pinnacle in Nashville, Tennessee. Simmons along with his bandmates; Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, and Ace Frehley were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. According to their discography, the band sold over 100 million albums worldwide, many of which earned gold and platinum awards. Simmons has contributed much to the state of California over his decades of fame and fortune. He was a co-founding member of the Rock and Brews restaurant chain that had locations in El Segundo and Redondo Beach. Bandmembers Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley and manager Doc McGhee co-owned the Los Angeles KISS Football League. Gene Simmons and Canadian actress and former Playboy Playmate, Shannon Tweed dated for 28 years before they married on October 1, 2011. They were married at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills. They had two children together, Nick and Sophie. The details of their family life was captured on their reality tv show, Simmons Family Jewels. Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed live in a $25 million mansion in Malibu. Simmons holds dual citizenship in both the U.S. and Israel. By Sharon

MALIBU—On July 4, Gene Simmons, co-founder of the 70s rock band Kiss, gave a patriotic message during his concert in Milwaukee, WI. The Gene Simmons Band is a solo band that features a group of rotating, skilled musicians. Simmons took a moment to speak to fellow immigrants. In his profanity-laced style of speaking, Simmons called the United States, “The greatest effing country on the planet. I myself am an immigrant, but a legal one. You wait in line, you respect the country, you respect the laws, and you become a citizen of the United States of America…And if you don’t like America, please go back to where you effing came from. Politicians talk the talk, but veterans put their lives out there. All gave some, some gave all. Don’t forget.” Over 2,000 miles away in Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, Jack Peterson, a train conductor at a historical attraction, lost his job after giving a similar message to passengers he welcomed them to the railway. Footage of the conductor’s message was recorded and made into a TikTok video with 530K views by the time he was fired. “To the very, very few Americans in here, Happy Independence Day. To the rest of you, welcome to the greatest country on the face of the planet, and if you disagree, you can leave,” Peterson stated. Passengers took offense to the conductor’s message and told him to “shut up.” Others posted comments on social media, accusing Peterson of racism and xenophobia. Incline Railroad fired Peterson. A GoFundMe for Peterson after he lost his job. Simmons is an immigrant from Israel. His mother was originally from Hungary. She survived concentration camps during the Holocaust and came to the United States with a young, Gene.  Simmons speaks about how his mother persevered when they immigrated to the U.S. legally as depicted on his website. He and his wife, Sharon Tweed, now live in Malibu. By Sharon

BEVERLY HILLS—The rock singer Gene Simmons is known as the bassist of the rock group Kiss and for his stage persona, The Demon. He resides in Beverly Hills in a mansion that he recently sold for twice the price he initially asked.

When Gene Simmons and his wife, Shannon Tweed Simmons, put their home on the market, they initially asked for $13.99 million, but it sold for $28 million. The couple resides in a beach house in Malibu. The property in Beverly Hills that they sold is 7,740 square feet, and outside, there is an 1,800-square-foot yard that features couches surrounding a fire pit. The Swiss architect Roger P. Kurath designed it. Inside the vast mansion are rooms with 12-foot-high ceilings and five bathrooms.


By Daniel Diquinzio