Gene Simons Family Jewels

Gene Simmons Talks “Family Jewels” and Why Blood is Thicker Than Hummus

In the June 28 episode of A & E’s reality series, “Gene Simmons Family Jewels,” flamboyant KISS frontman Simmons – famed for his demonic makeup, fire-breathing, tongue-flicking, 10-inch platforms and female conquests – cries at his father’s grave in Israel .

It was the first time Simmons (born Chaim Witz in Haifa) had ever visited the grave; in fact, it was the first time the 61-year-old had returned to Israel in more than half a century, having left at 8 with his mother, a Hungarian survivor of Auschwitz.  He stood at the grave and said “Kaddish” with half-siblings he did not even know he had until this “Family Jewels” trip; they were his father’s children from subsequent marriages.

Simmons’ longtime partner, Shannon Tweed, a former Playboy playmate, had arranged for the rocker to meet them:  “She was very sneaky and planned the whole thing, with a lot of surprises,” he said.  “I didn’t even know I had any siblings.  We were at a restaurant when a good-looking guy approached me; I thought he was the waiter.  Then they sprung it on me that he was my half-brother – and I met my half-sisters.”

For the KISS bass player-singer-songwriter (a.k.a. “The Demon”), it was a chance to confront some personal demons; particularly those surrounding the father he believed had abandoned him and his mother.

In the show, the catharsis comes as cameras follow Simmons into the the cemetery where his father, Feri Witz, is buried; a sibling reads aloud a heartbreaking letter Witz wrote but never mailed to Simmons in the United States.  “I spoke six languages, was very good in math and physics,...but because of the war in Europe and here in Israel all the time, and all kinds of tragedies in my life, I couldn’t progress and I’m going to finish my life as a nobody, as a nothing,” Witz wrote.  “The only thing I can be proud of is my children.”  The letter goes on to say how avidly he had followed Simmons’ career and “I’m very happy that you are happy.” 

It’s almost too much for the rock star, who laments, “I was so stupid…so f——-g stupid.  Why didn’t I go see him?”

“I’ve been arrogant about lots of things, especially my father,” he says later in the show.  “I wanted to prove to myself and to everyone else and to my father that I didn’t need him.  So once I proved it and became successful, I wanted to stand stubbornly on my pride…. Unfortunately I never saw my father again until I stood over his grave, and that was not easy.

The Clicker - Gene Simmons cries, shares regret at father's grave

Despite having offered his father some financial support over the years, Simmons had never visited the man since his parents split when he was a small child. The estrangement became a point of regret for Simmons as a letter from his father was read aloud at the cemetary.

“My very dear son, in the beginning of my letter I must thank you for your very helpful support of me,” the message read.

While the letter went on to praise Simmons’ children and partner, Shannon Tweed, the rocker broke down.

“I was so stupid,” he cried. “I don’t know why I didn’t go to see him.”

Eventually Simmons was left alone, except for the cameras, as he fell to his knees and repeated, “I’m so sorry.”

What do you think of such personal moments made public on reality TV? Did Simmons share too much with the cameras, or is he just offering fans a side of himself that they want to see? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.