Gene Simmons, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band KISS, stirred the pot this week with his insensitive remarks on people dealing with depression. He was quoted as saying that those battling with depression should “kill themselves.” Now, suddenly realizing that these comments were incredibly stupid, Simmons has tried to clarify his statements.
Simmons took to Facebook to apologize for his remarks. “To the extent my comments reported by the media speak of depression, I was wrong and in the spur of the moment made remarks that in hindsight were made without regard for those who truly suffer the struggles of depression,” the singer wrote.
“I sincerely apologize to those who were offended by my comments,” he continued. “I recognize that depression is very serious and very sad when it happens to anyone, especially loved ones. I deeply support and am empathetic to anyone suffering from any disease, especially depression.”
Simmons did bring up his past controversial views on drug use and alcoholics, which had “been misconstrued as vile commentary on depression.” He does not plan to continue defending his other views and will share a list of the charitable organizations he contributes to.
“Rather, I simply want to be clear that my heart goes out to anyone suffering from depression and I deeply regret any offhand remarks in the heat of an interview that might have suggested otherwise,” he said.
As we previously reported, Simmons sparked controversy with his SongFacts interview, which was posted just days after Robin Williams’ suicide after he battled depression for decades.
“Drug addicts and alcoholics are always, 'The world is a harsh place.' My mother was in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany. I don't want to hear f**k all about ‘the world as a harsh place,’” Simmons told the site. “She gets up every day, smells the roses and loves life. And for a putz, 20-year-old kid to say, 'I'm depressed, I live in Seattle.' F**k you, then kill yourself.”
Later, radio stations began boycotting KISS songs. As the Herald Sun reports, even an Australian radio station has stopped playing KISS hits.
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