Gene Simmons Tells Depressed People: 'F**k You, Kill Yourself'

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Gene Simmons is not making many friends this week. First he went after American immigrants who don't speak "goddamn English," and now the KISS rocker has some beyond strong opinions about those struggling with depression.


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"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." She gets up every day, smells the roses and loves life," the 64-year-old told SongFacts.com. "And for a putz, 20-year-old kid to say, 'I'm depressed, I live in Seattle.' F**k you, then kill yourself."

Unfortunately, he didn't stop there. "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 continued. "Are you kidding? Why are you announcing it? Shut the f**k up, have some dignity and jump! You've got the crowd."


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Simmons' remarks were pulled from a July interview, but picked up steam following the beloved Robin Williams' suicide on Monday after years of struggling with depression himself. Needless to say, Simmons' remarks were not so well received, especially by one of his fellow rockers.

Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx, 55, commented on the shocking quotes during his radio show Sixx Sense, saying, "I like Gene. But in this situation, I don't like Gene. I don't like Gene's words. 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.'"

He added, "For people who are depressed, there is a way out. There are many, many ways out…Don’t listen to people who don’t know what they’re talking about."

Still not over it, Sixx also tweeted in regards to Simmons' comments:

This isn't Simmons' first brush with controversy. He also sat down with ET to discuss why KISS refused to play at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony.