Rock legend Gene Simmons hospitalised after passing out behind wheel and crashing car in Malibu

KISS legend Gene Simmons has been involved in a car crash in Malibu.

The 76-year-old rocker reportedly passed out behind the wheel on Pacific Coast Highway on Tuesday and was rushed to hospital, according to NBC Los Angeles.

After a witness reportedly called 911, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department explained that Simmons spoke to first responders, claiming that he passed out or fainted before hitting the parked vehicle.

The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department told the outlet he crashed into a parked car just before 1pm. 

Simmons's SUV was sent veering across several lanes before slamming into the parked car, according to reports. 

The iconic rocker was hospitalised, but his wife, Shannon Tweed, told NBC4 Investigates that he has since been discharged and currently recovering at home. 

In a voicemail message sent to local outlet NBC4, Simmons said: "I am doing fine."

Tweed, who married Simmons in 2011, claimed doctors recently changed his medications and he needs to drink more water. 

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The bassist has previously opened up about his heart condition, atrial fibrillation (AFib).

According to The Heart Foundation, "Atrial fibrillation (AF or Afib) is a type of arrhythmia in which your heart beats irregularly and often fast. This reduces your heart's ability to pump blood properly and increases the chance of a blood clot forming in your heart and travelling up to your brain, where it can cause a stroke." 

Simmons admitted he had never heard of the term until he experienced it first-hand a decade ago. 

"I had never heard of the term AFib, but about 10 years ago, we were on tour someplace, and onstage the temperature goes up about a hundred, with all the stage lights," he said on an episode of The Doctors in March 2016. 

"I started to get dizzy and perspire and short of breath. So I called a doctor, and he showed up and said, 'OK, here's what's going on. There's something called AFib,' and he went down the list. And it was a lot to take in."

Simmons was one of the original members of the legendary rock band KISS, alongside Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. 

KISS concluded their final world tour in December 2023, after that Simmons formed a new band called the Gene Simmons Band with Brent Woods, Zach Throne and Brian Tichy.

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