KISS has paid tribute to guitarist Bob Kulick following his shock death.
The 70-year-old musician’s younger brother Bruce took to Twitter to announce the sad death on Friday (29.05.20) and KISS – who Bob worked with – shared their condolences.
Bruce wrote: "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."
KISS shared the message and wrote: "We are heartbroken. Our deepest condolences to the Kulick family in this difficult time."
The cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Bob auditioned for the role of lead guitarist of KISS in 1972 but lost out to Ace Frehley, while his brother Bob worked with the band from 1984 to 1996.
Bob contributed uncredited in-studio guitar work on four KISS albums and he worked on Paul Stanley’s 1978 solo album before joining him on tour.
Kulick had also worked with Lou Reed, Meat Loaf, Metallica, Diana Ross, Michael Bolton, and W.A.S.P. throughout his varied career.
And he also composed, produced, performed, and co-wrote the SpongeBob SquarePants song ‘Sweet Victory’.
WWE Undisputed Champion Jericho also paid tribute to Bob, writing on Twitter: "Sorry to hear about the passing of the legendary @bobkulickmusic.
"I’ve known #BobKulick for 15 years and had the pleasure of working with him three times on a few of his famous "All Star Tribute" albums. Bob was a KILLER guitar player and brought a lot of people together & gave them a lot of joy with his music….I will spend the rest of the day listening to his work! @paulstanleylive @kissonline #Meatloaf @officialmotorhead @dianaross @michaelboltonpics @loureedofficial’ (sic)."
LA band BulletBoys wrote: "Oh Man..This Is Awful! R.I.P. #bobkulick Ty for all the love u always gave me & us!!! We all will miss you my brother! Thoughts & Prayers to the Kulick Family. We all loved Bob so much! (sic)."
Jeff Scott Soto added: "Ugh, another peer, colleague & someone I considered 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 (sic)."