Lately, KISS rocker Gene Simmons has certainly been mouthing off.
About a month ago, Simmons went on a rant about hip-hop group N.W.A. being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, saying that he’s “looking forward to the death of rap.”
Now Simmons, 66, is encroaching on arguably sacred ground, saying that music icon Prince’s death in April was “pathetic.”
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Comparing Prince’s passing to the death of another music legend this year, David Bowie, Simmons seems to think one is more legitimate than the other. Bowie died of cancer at the age of 69.
The official cause of Prince’s death is not yet known, but recent reports say that he died of a suspected opioid overdose.
READ MORE: Gene Simmons: “I’m looking forward to the death of rap”
“The one question I have is: when we all start out and we have these big dreams and you finally get your wish … you have more money than God and fame,” Simmons said. “What is that insane gene in us, well, a lot of us, that makes us want to succumb to the cliché of clichés: drugs and alcohol?”
KISS starts up its Freedom to Rock Tour in July. The band plays Edmonton and Calgary on July 12 and 13, respectively.