peter criss

It may not be pretty, but if you ask Kiss' Gene Simmons a question, you can pretty much always count on a direct answer.

Founding Kiss drummer Peter Criss has been admirably up front about his struggle with breast cancer, working steadily over the last several years to help educate men about the risks and warning signs associated with the disease, and his efforts have not gone unnoticed; in fact, Criss is the recipient of this year's Humanitarian of the Year Award from the American Cancer Society.

According to Peter Criss, life in Kiss was, after the first few years, a power struggle, with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley on one side, and him and Ace Frehley on the other. In a new interview, he discusses that dynamic and how it led to his departure from Kiss.

The barrel of a .357 Magnum was three inches down his throat before ex-Kiss drummer Peter Criss thought of his mother, father and daughter and decided he had to carry on. In 1994, hours after a devastating earthquake that killed 33 and injured nearly 9,000, the Catman believed he had nothing to live for.

While former Kiss drummer Peter Criss's new book 'Makeup to Breakup: My Life In and Out of Kiss' promises to reveal the inner turmoil behind the early success of Kiss, an excerpt of the book reveals the turbulent childhood that proceeded his rock 'n' roll glory days. The Catman shares that he was a sickly baby born backwards into an immigrant family troubled by drinking and infidelity.

Original Kiss drummer Peter Criss has revealed the cover art for his forthcoming autobiography, ‘Makeup to Breakup: My Life In and Out of Kiss.’