The Truth About Diana Ross' Relationship With Gene Simmons

The celebrity world can seem like a small one. Often, any two given public figures only have a few degrees of separation from one another. Even still, some celebrity relationships come as a surprise. Gene Simmons, singer and musician in the legendary band Kiss, had his fair share of high-profile romances over the course of his career, which began in the early 1970s with bandmates Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, and Paul Stanley. They released their first album in 1974 and soon became well-known for their electrifying live performances. By 1977, a Gallup poll declared Kiss as the top band in the United States (via USA Today). The personal lives of the band members have been on display ever since.

Beginning in 2006, Gene Simmons and his family starred in the reality show "Gene Simmons Family Jewels." Some episodes of the show feature his 2011 wedding to long-time girlfriend, Shannon Tweed (per Ultimate Classic Rock). However, this was not his first significant relationship.

In the late 1970s, Gene Simmons began dating pop singer Cher. Bandmate Peter Criss recalled that Simmons was "getting tons of press" due to their relationship and that he talked on the phone with her for lengthy amounts of time (per Showbiz CheatSheet). Alas, it did not last. 

InStyle details how it ended with Cher. Cher wanted Simmons to ask her friend Diana Ross about what to buy her for Christmas in 1979. Simmons and Ross went shopping together and formed a friendship, even playing racquetball together. In his memoir "Kiss and Make-Up," he explained that neither of them began the friendship with intentions to make it more than just that, but both of their minds soon changed. Additionally, spending time with Ross and her children had an impact on Simmons. As he explained in his memoir (via InStyle), he began to entertain the idea of a more "domestic life" rather than the stereotypical (but accurate) life of a rock star with as many women as he pleased. He even began thinking about having children of his own.

This feeling did not last either, despite their glamourous time together that included private planes and spending time with other A-listers like Prince (via Rolling Stone). In the 1980s, Simmons attended multiple of what he described as "big summer bashes with hundreds of girls" at the Playboy Mansion (per InStyle). In 1984, he met Shannon Tweed. Going back to the point of those in the celebrity world being separated by only a few degrees, Tweed's sister was married to Chico Ross, Diana Ross' brother (per Yahoo). Luckily, this did not deter Simmons from continuing his relationship with Tweed.

Diana Ross went on to marry Arne Naess Jr. in 1986. As for Simmons and Tweed, they went on to have two children together, Nick and Sophie (via Closer Weekly). The happy ending with domestic life desires did not occur with Diana Ross as perhaps Simmons had envisioned in the 1980s, but it did with his current wife, Tweed.