Rock and roll icon Gene Simmons has been entertaining fans for decades through his role with KISS, but it looks like the singer and bassist is taking a break for a good reason. According to a new report from TMZ, Simmons was admitted to Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Hospital on early Tuesday morning, with the goal of undergoing a procedure to remove kidney stones. The procedure was reportedly non-invasive, and ultimately only took an hour.
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The report then goes into a bit more grisly detail about the procedure, revealing that it was to insert a stent into Simmons’ urethra. Reportedly, the stent is expected to be removed in about a week, and will help Simmons get rid of any extra kidney stones. Weirdly enough, this isn’t the first time that Simmons has made headlines for his kidney stones, as he sold one for $15,000 in a 2009 charity auction.
KISS fans have been curious about Simmons’ condition in recent weeks, after the band’s multi-year “End of the Road” farewell tour was put on hold due to the procedure. Simmons initially confirmed the postponing of the tour in a tweet last month, while reassuring fans that the procedure he needed was “nothing serious”.
Apologies to the fans in Salt Lake City. We will come back and do the show at a later date. The truth is, I have to fly to LA to do a medical procedure. Nothing serious. But it must be taken care of now. Thank you for your good wishes. All is well. 😊
— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) September 13, 2019
In the decades since their 1973 debut, KISS have become a part of the pop culture lexicon, spanning countless pieces of merchandise, animation, and comic books. KISS’ relationship to the world of comic book and nerd culture has been a bit of an open secret over the years, and has even intersected with some of the medium’s other icons.
“Gene Simmons came up to the office, followed by these other guys.” Marvel icon Stan Lee recalled during a 2017 convention appearance. “He said ‘I wanna ask you a question, Stan.’ I said ‘Alright.’ He said ‘Do you think this outfit looks too outrageous?’ And he put on these shoes that, the heels were about six inches. And he stood [very] high when it was all finished, in costume.”
“And I’m used to guys like Doctor Doom and The Vulture, so I said ‘No, that’s not outrageous at all!’” Lee explained. “And he said ‘Thank you!’ …I like to think that I’m the reason that KISS looks the way they look. If I had said it looks too outrageous, he’d probably have thrown it all away.”
We wish Simmons well in his recovery.
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