Shayam Dodge | Mail Online
He may be a hardcore rocker but Gene Simmons has a heart made of solid gold.
The 64-year-old was honoured for his work with U.S. troops abroad and veterans at home in America during an event in Hollywood, on Thursday.
The KISS bassist is reported to have been brought to tears while giving an emotional speech as his wife Shannon Tweed and his daughter Sophie supported him from the audience.
Wearing his signature dark sunglasses, the dark haired entrepreneur donned a grey sports coat and blue jeans for his appearance at the Salute to Veterans event at Paramount Studios where he was presented with the Durning Patriotism Award.
Sporting steel toed cowboy boots the 6ft2 former reality star towered above his high heeled ladies.
Sophie, 21, wore a strapless red dress with matching strappy open toed stiletto pumps as she smiled throughout the evening, clearly proud of her famous father.
The music mogul’s former Playboy playmate wife Shannon mirrored her husband’s choice in attire by donning blue jeans, grey cowboy boots and a white blazer.
The 56-year-old looked to be quite pleased with her husband’s efforts to help veterans, which includes his hiring a vet as the new roadie for his band KISS earlier this year in March.
And she has good reason to be, at least according to an emotional tribute posted to Instagram by an event goer.
American model Leeann Tweeden posted a snap of herself with the big haired musician – whose stage name is ‘The Demon’.
The pretty brunette captioned the snap: ‘Yes, Mr. Gene Simmons ladies & gentlemen. He received an award for all the work he does for the troops.’
Gene, who was born in Israel before moving to the United States, talked about his mother Flóra ‘Florence’ Klein, who was originally from Hungary.
Flóra and her brother, Larry Klein, are the only members of the family to have survived the Holocaust.
According to Leeann, 40, Gene ‘cried during his speech’ when he ‘talked about how his mother was liberated from a concentration camp by American troops.Then he recounted the day they were granted entry in the United States.’
Adding: ‘He IS the American Dream.’
Simmons also took to Twitter posting a snap of himself posing with a placard with his name on it.
The Detroit Metal City star captioned the memento: ‘Today was a day I will long remember. The Disabled Veterans Alliance held an event, I was proud to attend.’
Meanwhile, Gene also posted on Wednesday a surprising announcement.
Gene wrote: ‘Thank you, Michael Cohl for offering me the role of the Green Goblin on the Broadway production of #spiderman’.
If ‘The Demon’ does choose to take on the role he will be replacing veteran thespian Robert Cuccioli, and will make his Broadway debut as the green tinted villain in the long troubled production.