KISS bassist Gene Simmons' Twitter account has been shut down following the public backlash over his comments regarding people with mental health issues.
The 64-year-old rocker has been widely criticized for making insensitive comments about depression and suicide after a recent interview surfaced where he told sufferers “f*** you, then kill yourself”.
There’s been no official word on the reason behind the closure, although it does come on the heels of a #BanGene trend on the social media site.
Gene’s wife, Shannon Tweed, has also been flooded with negative feedback in the past few days, writing on Facebook Friday, “Thank you everyone for all the hate messages to ME.”
On Saturday, Tweed may have offered some insight into her husband’s Twitter closure, reportedly writing, “To answer the Gene question, I'd have no idea if by shutting down one's Twitter account, does it then make it impossible for those that made threatening Tweets to access them and delete them ? If so, that could be the reason. Otherwise, he just might have been instructed by Doc/Paul to shut it down” (referring to KISS manager Doc McGhee and bandmate Paul Stanley).
Tweed followed that note up with a link to an online report stating that Twitter will crack down on trolls after Robin Williams’ daughter was bullied off the network, to which she added “Twitter finally stepping up.”
Simmons offered a public apology on Friday for his recent remarks – read his message here.
See also:
Ace Frehley to launch new album with New York in-store appearance
Gene Simmons issues apology over suicide comments following KISS backlash
KISS face radio ban following suicide comments by Gene Simmons
KISS: Ace Frehley to hire Gene Simmons for next album?
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