Birth Name: Chaim Witz
Place of Birth: Tirat Carmel, Haifa, Israel
Date of Birth: August 25, 1949
Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish
Gene Simmons is the bass guitarist/co-lead vocalist of rock band Kiss.
Simmons was born in Israel to Hungarian Jews parents Flóra “Florence” Klein (formerly Kovács), born in Jánd, Hungary, and Feri Witz. With his mother, he emigrated to New York City, at eight years, speaking no English and settling in the Jackson Heights section of Queens; his father remained in Israel.
In the United States, Simmons changed his name to Eugene Klein (later Gene Klein), adopting his mother’s maiden name.
Simmons mother survived internment in Nazi concentration camps. She and her brother, Larry Klein, were the only members of the family to survive the Holocaust.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Simmons
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