Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American musician, singer and songwriter. Also known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the rock band he co-founded with Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss in the early 1970s.
Gene Simmons Biography
| Full Name | Chaim Witz |
| Nick Name/Celebrated Name: | Gene Simmons |
| Birth Place: | Haifa, Israel |
| Date Of Birth/Birthday: | August 25th, 1949 |
| Age/How Old: | 72 years old |
| Height/How Tall: | In Centimetres – 185.4 cm In Feet and Inches – 6′ 1″ |
| Weight: | In Kilograms – 85 Kg In Pounds – 187 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Brown |
| Hair Color: | Black |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Girlfriend: | N/A |
| Wife/Spouse Name: | Shannon Tweed |
| Kids/Children Name: | Sophie Simmons & Nick Simmons |
| Parents Name: | Father –Ferenc Yehiel Witz Mother –Florence Klein |
| Siblings: | Larry Klein |
| School: | Yeshiva Torah Vodaas School |
| College: | Sullivan County Community college |
| Religion: | Jewish |
| Nationality: | Israeli & American |
| Social media Accounts: | Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram |
| Zodiac Sign: | Virgo |
| Gender: | Male |
| Profession: | Musician, singer, entrepreneur, television personality, author, and record producer |
| Net Worth: | $400 million |
| Last Updated: | 2022 |
Gene Simmons Net Worth
| Net Worth: | $400 Million |
| Date of Birth: | Aug 25, 1949 (72 years old) |
| Gender: | Male |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Profession: | Singer, Actor, Songwriter, Record producer, Entrepreneur, Musician, Television producer, Film Producer, Teacher, Guitarist |
| Nationality: | United States of America |
Early Life
Gene Simmons was born Chaim Witz on August 25th, 1949 in Haifa, Israel. He was born to Florence Klein and Ferenc Yehiel Witz, a carpenter. His mother and her brother, Gene’s uncle Larry Klein, were the only members of their family to survive internment in a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust. Gene left Israel with his mother at the age of 8 and moved to Jackson Heights, Queens in New York City. Once in America, Chaim Witz adopted the more Americanized name of Eugene Klein. He also became very interested in music after watching The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show. With his newfound interest in music, his mother brought him a secondhand guitar. Gene became very good with the guitar but decided to switch over to bass because he felt it would be easier to get in a band. While in high school, Eugene started his first band, Lynx which was later renamed Missing Links. After his time with the Missing Links, Simmons joined The Long Island sounds. Gene studied briefly at Sullivan County Community College then transferred to Richmond College eventually earning a degree in education. With his degree in hand, Simmons taught grade school in Spanish Harlem and even worked as a personal assistant with the editor of “Vogue” and “Glamour” magazine. It was during this time that he changed his name to Gene Simmons in honor of famed rockabilly performer “Jumpin’ Gene Simmons”. Simmons joined a new band, Bullfrog Bheer, and they recorded the demo Leeta. (It was later included on the Kiss box set.)
Personal Life
Simmons has had romantic relationships with Liza Minnelli, Cher, and Diana Ross, but he has been living with actress and former Playboy playmate Shannon Tweed since the mid-1980s. The couple has two children: Nick, a son, and Sophie, a daughter. With the show Gene Simmons Family Jewels on the A&E television network in 2006, the family made the transition to reality television. From Tweed and Simmons getting cosmetic surgery together to Simmons managing Nick’s band, each episode featured a different family adventure. The show aired for six seasons, with season six featuring Simmons and Tweed’s wedding on October 1, 2011, in Beverly Hills, California.
Career
Going under the name of Gene Simmons he met Stanley Eisen (A.K.A Paul Stanley). The two decided to collaborate and formed the band “Wicked Lester”. Their efforts paid off quickly because just after seven shows they signed a deal with Epic Records. They recorded an album but it was not supported by Epic and fell by the wayside. It was never released. After this failure, Simmons and Paul set out to create what they called “The band that would rule the world”. They invited drummer Peter Criss to join them after seeing his advertisement in Rolling Stone magazine. They would soon be joined by guitarist Paul Frehley (aka Ace Frehley). The stage was now set for “Kiss” to take on the world. After five months of rehearsal they played their first show. Before the show they decided to experiment with make-up. Feeling that the make-up made them look too feminine they instead opted to use make-up as a form of art. They came up with the idea to use the make-up to express who they are as a person. “Kiss” quickly gathered a fan base. They released their self-titled debut album in February 1974. Simmons was the driving force behind their extensive merchandise. But even with a fan base their first three albums were met with little or no critical success. One thing that was well known is that Kiss put on a great live show. It was decided to record Kiss live in concert. Once the live CD was released, the band’s reputation grew because their live album hit quadruple platinum.
After five extremely successful years, the band members began to feel imprisoned by each other. It was during this time that they went separate ways to record their solo albums. When the band finally came back they were met with backlash. Many fans grew tired of Kiss’ make-up and Gene’s theatrics of spitting blood on stage. In 1983, Kiss decided to perform without the make-up. This actually allowed their popularity to grow even more. It was during the 80s that Gene felt like he wanted to take on more of the world. He began to accept acting jobs from Hollywood in 84 and started his own record label (Simmons Recording). Kiss would release their album Revenge album in 1992. The album would mark a much darker and rough tone that most of their albums have had. The album was a hit which led to Kiss being back in the lime light. Kiss has played on and off again since 1992 even making an appearance in 1995 on MTV’s Unplugged. The band hosted fan conventions in 1995. In 1996-1997, Kiss embarked on a highly successful Alive Worldwide Reunion tour. The band released another album, Psycho Circus, in 1998. The original line up has once again dissolved since then, with Tommy Thayer replacing lead guitarist Ace Frehley and Eric Singer replacing Peter Criss on the drums. In 1999 Simmons co-produced the film “Detroit Rock City” which is the ultimate love letter to Kiss. Simmons conquered the world of music with Kiss but in addition to that he also has as of late entered the reality television business with his shows Rock School and Gene Simmons family Jewels.