Bob Kulick, Lou Reed and Meatloaf guitarist, passes away aged 70; Kiss, Jeff Scott Soto mourn musician's demise

American guitarist Bob Kulick, known for performing with Rock band KISS, musician Lou Reed and singer Meat Loaf, has died. He was 70. According to Fox News, Kulick’s brother shared the tragic news on social media on Friday, writing: “I am heartbroken to have to share the news of the passing of my brother Bob Kulick. His love of music and his talent as a musician and producer should always be celebrated. I know he is at peace now, with my parents, playing his guitar as loud as possible. Please respect the Kulick Family’s privacy during this very sad time.” Check out the post

I am heartbroken to have to share the news of the passing of my brother Bob Kulick. His love of music, and his talent as a musician and producer should always be celebrated. Please respect the Kulick Family’s privacy during this sad time. RIP pic.twitter.com/LUWC6k69Ml

— Bruce Kulick (@brucekulick) May 29, 2020

No other details about Kulick’s death are currently known. Following the announcement of his passing, tributes came pouring in. KISS  wrote on its official Twitter account, “We are heartbroken. Our deepest condolences to the Kulick family in this difficult time.” Keyboardist Derek Sherinian tweeted: “I am very sad to hear about the passing of Bob Kulick. I played on several tribute records in the 90s that Bob produced. My condolences to his family and especially Bruce. R.I.P. #BobKulickRIP :(.” Singer Jeff Scott Soto wrote: “Ugh, another peer, colleague & someone I considered a friend has passed. I worked with Bob Kulick on many recordings through the years, most notably the many tribute albums he produced. My condolences to his brother Bruce and extended Kulick family.” According to Yahoo! Entertainment, In 1972, Kulick initially tried out for a then-unknown band — now KISS — but the guitarist gig ended up going to Ace Frehley, who had auditioned right after Kulick. As per the outlet, five years later the band — which also consisted of Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Peter Criss — hired Kulick for their record ‘KISS Alive II’ and he secretly recorded for them. From there, he would go on to lend his talents, albeit under wraps, to more albums for KISS including, ‘Unmasked,’ ‘Killers’ and ‘Creatures of the Night,’ in addition to Stanley’s 1978 solo album, Yahoo! reported. Bruce Kulick officially joined KISS in 1984 and continued until 1996. Bob and Bruce performed a 13-song setlist of KISS music live together for the first time ever in 2017 on the annual KISS Kruise, the outlet said. In a 2018 interview with Ultimate Classic Rock (UCR), Kulick said he didn’t have an issue with keeping his work with KISS a secret. At the time, he told the outlet, “In this circumstance, being friends with Gene [Simmons] and Paul [Stanley], it was important to me that when they said, ‘This has to be between us and us only,’ that I’m going to keep my word. It’s all about integrity, and that’s how I’m able to keep going.” “I make great music; I don’t settle. I never went for the easy way: ‘Oh, just take the money.’ I never did that, it’s just not me. I never recorded an artist and took their money if I thought they were below the bar line, like ’this is going to be embarrassing.’ It wouldn’t help them, it wouldn’t help me,” continue Kulick. In addition to his work with KISS, Kulick was the lead guitarist on Lou Reeds 1975 record ‘Coney Island Baby.’ He also worked with the likes of Meat Loaf, Michael Bolton, W.A.S.P., and Diana Ross. In 2017, Bob Kulick released a solo album titled ‘Skeletons In The Closet’. He also worked on the SpongeBob SquarePants’ song ‘Sweet Victory.’ (With inputs from Asian News International)