KISS Rocker Gene Simmons Hospitalized After Malibu Car Crash: Report

KISS rocker Gene Simmons was reportedly hospitalized in Malibu on Tuesday, Oct. 7 and is “recovering at home” after he allegedly passed out behind the wheel of his car and crashed on the Pacific Coast Highway, according to NBC4 Los Angeles.

NBC4 Los Angeles reported that Simmons, 76, told responding deputies that he either passed out or fainted while driving along the famed oceanside stretch of highway, and hit a parked car.

A spokesperson for the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station confirmed to PEOPLE an incident that matches the description of Simmons’ crash, though they did not identify the driver involved.

The spokesperson said the accident happened in the 25000 block of Pacific Coast Highway just before 1 p.m. and “involved a vehicle that struck a parked vehicle.” The driver was transported to the hospital by LA County Fire for further treatment, the spokesperson said.

NBC4 identified the driver as Simmons, and reported that his SUV “careened across several lanes of traffic” before hitting the parked car. The musician’s wife Shannon, 68, told the outlet that Simmons is recovering at home, and noted that doctors had recently changed his medication.

Neither Shannon nor a rep for Simmons immediately responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The incident comes just before KISS is set to perform together for the first time since retiring from touring in 2023. The “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” singers will reunite in Las Vegas in November for the KISS Army Storms Vegas event, which celebrates their 50th anniversary as a band.

The event will take place from Nov. 14-16, and will feature an “unmasked” Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer and other special guests. According to a press release, there will be “exclusive Q&A sessions with members of the band, a panel with longtime manager Doc McGhee, a special live performance from former KISS member Bruce Kulick, along with sets from KISS tribute bands, other special guests, interactive activities, exclusive experiences and more.”

Other activities include KISS karaoke, KISS trivia, artist meet and greets and a KISS look-a-like contest.

Simmons recently made headlines for a colorful interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, during which he spoke about money and how he prefers to be wealthy. The comments came after he defended selling a $12,000+ package for a personal assistant to work for him during his upcoming tour.

“All I ever did was try to figure out how to become powerful and make lots of money, for survival. The only thing money ever does, really, is give you the freedom to do stuff you actually like doing,” said Simmons, whose mother survived Nazi concentration camps, then worked six days a week in a “sweat factory.” “It’s better to be rich than poor, it really is. And if you’re a miserable f— it’s still better to be a rich, miserable f—. That’s all I ever tried to do.”