Gene Simmons, an American musician, who is also known by his stage persona “The Demon”, was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band KISS. Simmons co-founded this rock band with Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss in the early 1970s. He was born to Florence and Ferenc on August 25, 1949, in Haifa, Israel. His mother was a Holocaust survivor and when he was eight years old, he moved to New York City with his mother. He later changed his name to Eugene Klein to sound more American.
He learned about his passion for music and began playing the guitar in various bands after watching The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. Throughout the years, he has delivered hits such as I Was Made for Loving You and Detroit Rock City. And made some real good fortune. He is not just a rockstar; he’s a savvy businessman which made his net worth grow to staggering heights.
What is Gene Simmons’ Net Worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Gene Simmons is worth a staggering $400 million. He’s earned that from his largely successful music career with KISS, his smart business ventures, and his work as a media personality over the years.
The KISS brand has garnered over $1 billion in licensing fees since the 1970s. Simmons, along with bandmate Paul Stanley, co-owns the brand, with the band grossing over $100 million annually from tours, merchandise sales, and licensing.
He has also appeared in films and television shows, including his own reality series on A&E, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, which aired for seven seasons. Apart from that, Simmons has written books, including autobiographies and self-help guides, that added further value to his income streams.
In 1984, Simmons founded his record label, Simmons Recording, and has continued to explore entrepreneurial endeavors.
What’s the Reason Behind Gene Simmons’ Success?
That’s something Simmons can’t say directly. As he once told Money, people can’t get rich by reading all those books where the authors say 10 tricks to become a rich guy or something like that.
“…All those books that are written like ’10 Steps to Success’ or “How You Can Become a Millionaire By Following These 10 Steps’—they’re not really true,” Simmons once told Money.
“If the only thing you have to do is follow those 10 steps, everybody who’s reading those books would be a multi-millionaire.”
Recently, Simmons and his bandmate Paul Stanley sold the rights to KISS’ entire catalog to a Swedish music investment company Pophouse for a simply wild $300 million.
In 2019, Simmons spoke to BBC and gave his thoughts on money. “I approach life the way a shark approaches life—they must keep moving or else they will drown. I’ll never stop hunting money. I’ll never have enough. … People who say that money is the root of all evil are morons. A lack of money is the root of all evil.”
Simmons had live-in relationships with Cher and Diana Ross. But he has had a decades-long relationship with Shannon Tweed. They had been together for 28 years. He married Shannon Tweed in 2011 and shares two children, Nick and Sophie, and resides in Beverly Hills, California.
Disclaimer: All amounts mentioned in the article are sourced from public platforms. In some cases, celebrities or their teams give their inputs too, which we incorporate if provided by them. We take all efforts to share possible accurate numbers, however unless otherwise mentioned they are all approximates. We are open to feedback and suggestions on editorial@pinkvilla.com.
