According to Courthouse News Service, KISS vocalist/bassist Gene Simmons and his associated company have been sued by a security guard working at the band's 2012 concert in Indiana, claiming that the guard was injured after the group band "foolishly" sprayed the stage with water and confetti (see fan-filmed video below). Also named as defendants in the lawsuit were the concert venue (Klipsch Music Center) and Live Nation World Wide Inc.
Timothy Funk says in his lawsuit, which was filed in Hamilton Superior Court, that he fell on the "slippery, waxy, and glassy" stage after "some or all of the defendants" sprayed water from hoses "on the stage, the area around the stage, and on some of the crowd." The defendandts also sprayed confetti around the stage and crowd "in a foolish and reckless manner," Funk claims.
Funk is seeking compensation for his injuries, loss of wages and other charges.
Paul Stanley (KISS), Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE), Ozzy Osbourne (BLACK SABBATH), Brian "Head" Welch (KORN), Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR), Yngwie Malmsteen, Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX), Stephen Pearcy (RATT), Michael Sweet (STRYPER) and Lzzy Hale (HALESTORM) are among the musicians who reacted on Twitter and Facebook to the passing of actor and comedian Robin Williams, who died earlier today (Monday, August 11) of a suspected suicide due to asphyxia.
Williams was found dead at his home in Tiburon, California.
A forensic examination is set to take place on August 12.
The actor was reportedly battling severe depressing before his death.
His third wife, Susan Schneider, released a statement after the announcement of his death.
"This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings," she wrote. "I am utterly heartbroken.
"On behalf of Robin's family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief.
"As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robin's death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions."
According to The Pulse Of Radio, STONE SOUR/SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor has called out KISS in a new interview with Radio.com over the public feud between the current band members, two original ex-members and the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame over the group's long-awaited induction into the Hall next month. Taylor said, "On one hand, you're stoked being a KISS fan, but on the other hand it's, like, 'Can you guys just put aside your petty issues and realize that without one another you wouldn't have been able to do this? Can you just set stuff aside and do one show for the fans of the original lineup again? And then you never have to see each other again?'"
KISS co-founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley firmly rejected the idea of performing at the induction ceremony with former founding members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, despite the Hall's and fans' wishes.
Taylor added, "Without (Frehley and Criss), the other two guys wouldn't be where they are! And that's just me layin' it straight! I might not ever get a kind word from anybody in that band anymore. But I think it's petty and I think it's ridiculous! Figure it out! Show respect, because sometimes it's not about you, it's about the fans."
But Taylor, who has seen his share of turbulent times in SLIPKNOT, admitted that band relationships can be tricky. He said, "We're just crazy people who can't get along sometimes… Now add fame and money and all that rock and roll craziness to it — we're lucky we don't eat each other in this industry!"
KISS will be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on April 10 at a ceremony in Brooklyn, New York, along with NIRVANA, Linda Ronstadt and others.
Taylor and SLIPKNOT are currently recording their first studio album since 2008's "All Hope Is Gone".
According to the New York Post, the heirs of the late KISS drummer Eric Carr have filed a lawsuit against the band over unpaid royalties.
The complaint states the estate is entitled to between a 5 and 50 percent cut on four songs that Carr, who died of cancer in 1991, wrote — "Breakout", "Carr Jam 1981", "Carr Jam 1991" and "Little Caesar".
The heirs, who have been getting royalties from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), decided to file the suit after realizing that they also should have been receiving payments from several KISS-affiliated companies, including the current group, two publishing firms and Gene Simmons Worldwide Inc.
"They thought they were getting it all from one source," the estate's attorney, Robert Garson, told the New York Post.
"Until his death, Carr received the regular mechanical and/or publishing royalty payments that were owed to him on a regular basis, from various sources," the complaint reads. "The source of such payments varied depending upon which company or organization administered the publishing of the works. Upon his death, however, while some of these royalty payments continued to be made to his Estate and/or beneficiaries by respondents Universal-Polygram Int. Publ., Inc. (UMPG), no payments were received by the Estate, its executors or the beneficiaries from The Kiss Company or any company or corporation to which its rights have been sold, assigned or transferred for the compositions [in question]."
The complaint adds: "For over a year, requests have been made for missing payments or information regarding any reasons for non-payment from the representatives of KISS and Universal-Polygram Int. Publ., Inc. (UMPG), all to no avail. Additionally, the composition entitled 'Little Cesar', which was recorded and published with the United States Copyright Office in 1989 with Carr listed as an author, appears to have been re-registered with the Copyright Office in 1992 with Carr's name removed."
Carr joined KISS in 1980 after the departure of the band's original drummer Peter Criss. He recorded eight albums with the group, starting with "Music From 'The Elder'" in 1981. His last recorded appearance with KISS was "Hot In The Shade", released in 1989.
