'Unkind comments about depression was never my intention': KISS bassist Gene Simmons apologises for saying depressed people should 'f*** off and kill themselves'

Gene Simmons told people with depression to ‘F***you, then kill yourself’

KISS rocker then tweeted his sympathy for Robin Williams' tragic death

Following backlash, Simmons apologised and closed his Twitter account



Triple M radio station has reacted by banning the rock band's music



The radio station's boss labelled Simmons a 'd***head'

Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx described the comments as 'moronic'



Loud-mouthed rocker Gene Simmons has profusely apologised for his outrageous remarks about people battling with mental health and has even deleted his Twitter account following a serious backlash from fans across the globe.



The outspoken KISS bass guitarist made the insensitive remarks, which prompted radio stations around the world to boycott the band’s music, just two weeks before tweeting his condolences about the suicide of comedian Robin Williams.



Simmons publicly apologised on both his Twitter and Facebook accounts after social media users reacted with disgust about the musician’s astounding rant which included the harsh words: ‘F***you, then kill yourself’ when talking about people who suffer from depression and addictions.



But the damage was already done as far as many of his dedicated fans were concerned and Simmons has since deleted his Twitter account which he used on a daily basis .



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Gene Simmons told people who battled with depression: ‘F***you, then kill yourself’

Simmons' public apology on his Facebook page which was also posted on his Twitter account but he has deleted it since

Australia's Triple M radio station, Canadian stations Power97 and BobFM and New York's longtime WPYX DJ Uncle Vito all led boycotts of KISS music in the wake of Simmons' comments.



Simmons said he would not defend his tirade by listing the ‘myriad of charities and self-help organisations I am involved with.’



'Rather, I simply want to be clear that my heart goes out to anyone suffering from depression. Unkind statements about depression was certainly never my intention,' he posted.

'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.'







He added that although he had never sugarcoated his feelings regarding drug use and alcoholics, his words were never meant to be misconstrued as 'vile commentary'.

The comments are a complete about-turn to the shocking remarks made in an interview when asked if he still got along with the original band members.



‘No, I don't get along with anybody who's a drug addict and has a dark cloud over their head and sees themselves as a victim,’ Simmons said to music website Songfacts.

KISS fans express their disgust on Twitter about Simmons' explosive comments The majority of fans expressed on Facebook that they don't perceive Simmons' apology as genuine

The outspoken rocker commented that drug addicts and alcoholics always have the attitude of ‘the world is a harsh place.’

‘My mother was in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany. I don't want to hear f*** all about "the world as a harsh place. 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*** you, then kill yourself.’

'I never understand, because I always call them on their bluff. I'm the guy who says 'Jump!' when there's a guy on top of a building who says, "That's it, I can't take it anymore, I'm going to jump."

Simmons then went on to imply that people with suicidal tendencies were attention seekers.

‘Are you kidding? Why are you announcing it? Shut the f*** up, have some dignity and jump! You've got the crowd. ‘

‘By the way, you walk up to the same guy on a ledge who threatens to jump and put a gun to his head, "I'm going to blow your f***in' head off!" He'll go, "Please don't!" It's true. He's not that insane.’

Triple M radio station has banned playing KISS music with network head Mike Fitzpatrick describing Simmons (second from right) as a 'd***head'

Despite having an army of lifelong fans many have turned their back on the rocker with the majority of more than 2,500 fans posting comments on Simmons’ Facebook post saying they don't accept that his apology was from the heart.

'Sorry but this is damage control to me!!!!Not sincere at all,' Shelley Marshall posted.



'Too bad you don't mean it, sounds like a "pr" statement, your just trying to cover your a** due to the backlash, my days to being a kiss fan are over due to your ignorance,' Mike Foreman said.



Simmons' explosive comments also prompted the Triple M radio station to pull all KISS tracks from playlists across the country.

Triple M's Network head Mike Fitzpatrick described Simmons’ comments as ‘misguided and insensitive’ and called on other stations to also boycott the rock band’s music.



‘Depression and suicide are not topics he should be using to further his notoriety or sell records.'



'His desperation to use mental health issues to find relevancy in a modern age is sickening. I can only put it down to a brain fade on his part,’ Fitzpatrick said on the station’s website.



‘The Triple M Network can’t and won’t be playing or supporting this d***head’s music. I put the challenge out to other stations across Australia and North America to also drop any of this nudnik's songs until such time as he reconsiders his thoughtless and insensitive position.’

Simmons expressed empathy for Robin William's tragic death on Twitter just two weeks after his outrageous remarks

Nikki Six condemns Simmons' comments



Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx also expressed his disgust in Simmons comments on his Sixx Sense radio show, Rolling Stone reported.



'It's pretty moronic because [Simmons] thinks everybody listens to him, that he is the God of Thunder. He will tell you he is the greatest man on earth, and to be honest with you, I like Gene. But in this situation, I don't like Gene. I don’t like Gene's words,' Sixx said.



'There is a 20-year-old kid out there who is a Kiss fan and reads this and goes, "You know what? He's right. I should just kill myself."



Sixx added that there were many other options for people who are depressed than to take their own lives.

'And I don't want people to listen to an interview from a rock star, who's telling you the only way out is out.'



Simmons’ extreme comments were published just two weeks before he expressed his sympathy on Twitter on Tuesday about the tragic death of actor Robin Williams on Tuesday who battled with depression and drug and alcohol issues.



‘R.I.P. Robin Williams. A kind and generous man.’



He also retweeted a National Suicide Prevention hotline tweet honouring Williams.

