Gene Simmons, the fire-breathing Demon of KISS, and Cher, the pop goddess of the ’70s, were an unlikely power couple. Their romance, which burned brightly from 1977 to 1979, was anything but ordinary. But did you know that Gene Simmons used clever disguises to keep his private life under wraps while dating Cher?
Gene Simmons is known for his over-the-top stage persona: the Demon. With his dramatic black-and-white makeup, leather costumes, and fire-spitting antics, Gene became a symbol of rock’s larger-than-life attitude. But when the makeup came off, Gene was a different story—a private man who wanted to separate his public persona from his personal life.
While KISS’s makeup made them instantly recognizable, it also gave them the unique advantage of anonymity. Offstage, Gene could walk around as ‘regular Gene,’ blending into the crowd without the iconic face paint that defined his stage persona.
In Cher: The Memoir, Part One, the Moonstruck actress writes about her relationship with the KISS rocker. When they went out in Los Angeles, Cher noted the lack of makeup Simmons wore when offstage. Since KISS is known for its dramatic black-and-white makeup, he was able to blend in.
She wrote: “The makeup and clothes that make KISS so recognizable, also allowed them to have separation between when they were ‘on’ as celebrities, and when they were leading private lives. ”
However, going out with the very famous Cher didn’t help. She noted: “He’d want to go out with me as regular Gene. He didn’t want to put on his persona when we went on dates, but he didn’t want to appear to the public as his private self.”
The couple’s efforts to stay private were often thwarted by the media frenzy surrounding their relationship. Still, their chemistry and mutual respect made them one of the most fascinating celebrity couples of the era.
During an interview, Gene even told the story of his simultaneous relationships with Cher and Diana Ross.
