Celebrity Net Worth

Net Worth :
300 million dollars

Date of Birth :
August 25, 1949

Country of Citizenship :
Israel


Gene Simmons is an Israeli American rock bassist, vocalist, and actor. He is best known as "The Demon", co-founded, one of the lead vocalists and the bassist in the hard rock band KISS. One of the most popular comments of Simmons is that he has never been high, drunk, or smoked in his life.

Simmons was born "Chaim Witz" in Haifa, Israel. After his father, Feri Witz, abandoned his family, he immigrated to New York City in 1957 with his mother Florence Klein. She was a Jewish Hungarian immigrant and a Holocaust surviver. Florence's absence to work two jobs to make ends meet left emotional scars which, among other things, left Gene Simmons with a strong desire for success and wealth.

Gene Simmons and Stanley Eisen (also known as Paul Stanley) formed the rock band Wicked Lester in the early 1970s. They recorded an album, but it never has been released. Dissatisfied with Wicked Lester's look and sound, they went looking for other musicians who they can draw in to the band. Eventually they joined up with drummer Peter Criscoula and the guitarist Paul Frehley, who later become Peter Criss and Ace Frehley.

Simmons and Stanley then attempted to fire the other members of Wicked Lester and bring in Criss, Frehley; when the other members refused, Simmons and Stanley immediately quit Wicked Lester and formed a new band with Criss, and Frehley, which they soon dubbed KISS. The band released their first debut album in February of 1974. At that time, Gene Simmons became the driving force behind the marketing of KISS.