Age, Biography, and Wiki
Gene Simmons, born Chaim Witz on August 25, 1949, is an Israeli-born American musician and media personality. He is best known as the co-founder, bassist, and co-lead singer of the rock band KISS. Simmons's early life was marked by his family's move to the United States when he was eight years old. He developed an interest in music from an early age, eventually leading him to form KISS in 1973 alongside Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, and Ace Frehley.
| Occupation | Film Producer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 25 August 1949 |
| Age | 75 Years |
| Birth Place | Haifa, Israel |
| Horoscope | Virgo |
| Country | Israel |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Gene Simmons stands at a height of 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm) and has a notable physical presence, complemented by his distinctive stage makeup and tongue-wagging performances. His weight and other measurements are not as frequently discussed as his height, which often draws attention during public appearances.
| Height | 6 feet 2 inches |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Gene Simmons has been in a long-term relationship with Shannon Tweed, a Canadian model and actress. The couple has been together since 1978 and married in 2011. They have two children: Nick Simmons and Sophie Simmons.
She and her brother, Larry Klein, were the only members of the family to survive the Holocaust. Simmons' father, Ferenc "Feri" Yehiel Witz (1925–2002), was a carpenter whom Klein married in 1946 and the couple moved to Israel the following year. Simmons spent his early childhood in Tirat Carmel and was raised in a practicing Jewish household. He has said that his family was "dirt poor", scraping by on rationed bread and milk. At the age of seven, he began to pick wild fruit and sell it on roadsides together with a friend.
At age eight, after his parents’ divorce, he and his mother emigrated to the United States, settling in Queens, New York City. His father remained in Israel, where he had another son and three daughters. In the United States, Simmons changed his name to Gene Klein, adopting his mother's maiden name. When he was nine, he briefly attended a Jewish religious school, Yeshiva Torah Vodaas, before transferring to a public school. He graduated from Newtown High School. He later attended Sullivan County Community College in New York, and Richmond College in Staten Island, New York where he graduated with a BA in Education in 1970.
Simmons resides in Los Angeles with his wife Shannon Lee Tweed, a Canadian actress and former Playboy Playmate. Although they began dating in 1983, they did not marry until 28 years later. Simmons often joked that he and Tweed were "happily unmarried" for over 20 years. He also often paraphrased Groucho Marx, saying "Marriage is an institution, and I don't want to live in an institution". Simmons and Tweed wed on October 1, 2011, at the Beverly Hills Hotel. They have two children: Nick (born January 22, 1989) and Sophie (born July 7, 1992). He formerly had live-in relationships with Cher and Diana Ross, revealing that he fell in love with Ross while dating Cher. Simmons has boasted many times about having bedded thousands of women. In 2010, he claimed the tally stood at 5,000 and that he has a Polaroid picture of each liaison, including the hotel key where it took place. After their wedding, when Shannon found the key for the lockboxes containing the photos (confirming at least that much of the rumors), after a "loving confrontation" with Gene, she had every single Polaroid burned on national television during the final season of their reality show Gene Simmons Family Jewels.
Simmons believes he is an "outcast" in the rock music community due to his open disdain for drug and alcohol use, and has proudly claimed many times to have never been drunk or high on a substance in his life. He has said the reason for his sober lifestyle was for his mother, who was a Holocaust survivor. He said “I’m my mother’s only child [...] I was concerned I had no right to harm my mother. Life did that enough.” However, he has admitted to once accidentally becoming intoxicated on marijuana after mistakenly eating pot brownies.
Simmons was a supporter of the foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration. He supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, writing on his website: "I'm ashamed to be surrounded by people calling themselves liberal who are, in my opinion, spitting on the graves of brave American soldiers who gave their life to fight a war that wasn't theirs... in a country they've never been to... simply to liberate the people therein". In a follow-up, Simmons explained his position and wrote about his love and support for the United States: "I wasn't born here. But I have a love for this country and its people that knows no bounds. I will forever be grateful to America for going into World War II, when it had nothing to gain, in a country that was far away... and rescued my mother from the Nazi German concentration camps. She is alive and I am alive because of America. And, if you have a problem with America, you have a problem with me".
In March 2011, Simmons visited his birth country, Israel. He described the trip as a "life changing experience". He talked about how he still feels that he is an Israeli: "I'm Israeli. I'm a stranger in America. I'm an outsider". While there, Simmons met his half-brother Kobi, and triplet half-sisters Drora, Sharon and Ogenia. He also visited his estranged father's grave. Simmons announced he has plans to take Kiss to Israel, something that happened first in 2015 with a concert in Tel Aviv. He has said that he is an ardent supporter of Israel. At a press conference in Israel, he spoke in both Hebrew and English. During his visit to Israel in 2011, he also stated that the artists refusing to perform in Israel for political reasons are "stupid".
In 2019, Ace Frehley, who played together with Simmons for years in Kiss, stated that Simmons had groped his wife, calling Simmons an "asshole and a sex addict".
Simmons's family received the MEND Humanitarian Award for their philanthropic efforts and support for Mending Kids International at the organization's annual gala on November 9, 2013. The award was presented by Mel Gibson. In his acceptance speech, Simmons spoke of his own difficult childhood in Israel in a bullet-riddled house. He recalled his mother's excitement when they received a CARE box one day.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Shannon Tweed (m. 2011) |
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Gene Simmons's net worth is estimated to be $400 million, primarily derived from his successful music career with KISS, extensive merchandise licensing, and various business ventures. KISS has sold over 100 million records worldwide, and their brand has generated over $1 billion in licensing fees since the 1970s.
Simmons has been involved with such television projects as: In 1978, Simmons appeared in a made-for-television movie, Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park. In 1981, Simmons auditioned at ABC for a role in a new Marcy Carsey produced show called Grotus and was offered his own TV show, which he declined as the pay was lower than what he made with Kiss at the time.
In September 2014, Simmons said "The death of rock was not a natural death. Rock did not die of old age. It was murdered". Simmons blames file sharing and that no one values music "enough to pay you for it" for the decline of the rock music scene.
Business Ventures
Simmons and his bandmate Paul Stanley co-own the restaurant chain Rock & Brews. He also launched Simmons Records, a record label, and has been involved in various other business ventures, including a reality TV show, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, which added to his income.
Before his musical career began, Klein worked a variety of jobs in the city. A proficient typist, he served as an assistant to an editor of Vogue, and spent 6 months as a sixth grade instructor on the Upper West Side.
In 2018, Simmons was named "Chief Evangelist Officer" of the Canadian cannabis company Invictus MD Strategies. Simmons also holds a large investment stake in the company.
In an April 2012 interview, Simmons endorsed Republican Mitt Romney for President: "America should be in business and it should be run by a businessman."
On November 16, 2017, Simmons made an appearance on Fox & Friends to promote a new book, but shortly afterward, he burst into a staff meeting uninvited, unbuttoning his shirt and telling jokes. The next day, on November 17, Fox News announced that Simmons was banned for life from their program, as well as from entering any of the company's properties. Simmons later issued a statement saying that he has "a tremendous amount of respect" for the company's workers and apologized for "unintentionally offending" any staff members during his visit.
* Wendy O. Williams – WOW (1984) Producer, played all the bass on the album (credited as "Reginald Van Helsing"), co-wrote five songs "I Love Sex (And Rock and Roll)", "It's My Life", "Thief in the Night", "Legends Never Die" and "Ain't None of Your Business".
Social Network
Gene Simmons is active on social media platforms, often engaging with fans and promoting his projects. His presence on platforms like Twitter and Instagram helps maintain his public image and connect with his audience.
The Beatles had a significant influence on Simmons. "There is no way I'd be doing what I do now if it wasn't for the Beatles. I was watching The Ed Sullivan Show and I saw them. Those skinny little boys, kind of androgynous, with long hair like girls. It blew me away that these four boys [from] the middle of nowhere could make that music."
Simmons has expressed his preference for "memorable simplicity" in music as opposed to technical complexity. "I don't consider myself—and was never really interested in being—a bass virtuoso [...] I don't like show-offs in music. I'm much more attracted to things that are memorable. It's part of the joy of music for me." He has also said that while he appreciates the technical skill of jazz musicians, he believes they do not have appeal over a wide audience, saying "You can be a jazz player and be respected by musicians, but the rest of the world doesn't care."
Simmons is a science fiction and comic book fan and published several science-fiction fanzines, among them Id, Cosmos (which eventually merged with Stilletto to become Cosmos-Stilletto and then Faun), Tinderbox, Sci-Fi Showcase, Mantis and Adventure. He also contributed to other fanzines, among them BeABohema and Sirruish. By 1977, however, he would write in a letter of comment to Janus, "I haven't been active [in fandom] for about five years".
In 2013, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History accepted an autographed Gene Simmons Axe bass into their collection from John Upshaw Downs Jr. The Smithsonian wrote, in part: "The bass will now be cared for in our permanent collections... We are happy to include the Axe bass as it relates to the impact Mr. Simmons and his band Kiss have had on American culture, especially in the creation of a unique and iconic brand that has been embraced by fans worldwide ... The story of Mr. Simmons' American experience deserves to be preserved. An immigrant and son of a holocaust survivor, he used creative vision and entrepreneurial acumen to make a significant impact for our nation's popular culture, becoming an iconic figure in American music and entertainment."
Gene Simmons is a playable character in Tony Hawk's Underground, unlocked when completing the story mode on Normal difficulty, and also appears with his Kiss bandmates in the Hotter Than Hell level to play one of three songs upon collecting the four K-I-S-S letters.
Education
Gene Simmons attended Sullivan County Community College in Loch Sheldrake, New York, though he did not graduate. His education was largely self-directed, focusing on music and business.
In summary, Gene Simmons's success is a blend of his iconic music career, savvy business strategies, and a continuous presence in popular culture. His net worth reflects his ability to adapt and thrive in the entertainment industry.
From 1968 to 1970 Simmons attended Sullivan County Community College in Loch Sheldrake, New York for two years. He joined a new band, Bullfrog Bheer, and the band recorded various home demos including Leeta; this was later included on the Kiss box set. The band existed until 1970 with various line-ups.
* Rock School, a UK reality show in which Simmons tries to make a rock band out of a group of students of Christ's Hospital School in the first season, and in the second, a group of kids from a comprehensive school in Lowestoft
Simmons is an honorary board member of Little Kids Rock, a national nonprofit that works to restore and revitalize music education in disadvantaged U.S. public schools. A&E's Gene Simmons Family Jewels visited a Little Kids Rock classroom and featured the segment on the show. He also decorated a guitar for auction with his son Nick.
