National Report — Former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent has been reported missing by his legions of die-hard fans. The troubled ankh warrior is MIA and feared dead by the Kiss Army. Efforts to locate Vincent have met nothing but dead ends and conspiracy theories are running rampant throughout the ranks.
Vincent, 62, had fallen on hard times in recent years due strings of bad luck, unpaid songwriting royalties, and being taken advantage of by shady fans and business partners. One so-called “fan” ripped off the aging rocker for thousands of dollars after being hired to build and market his signature ‘V V’ guitar, only to make off with the advances.
In one bizarre incident, cult members from the Knights in Satan’s Service allegedly planted containers consisting of four dead dogs on Vincent’s Tennessee property, leading to an embarrassing arrest and media coverage. Although all charges against him were dropped, Vinnie abruptly vanished from the area leaving behind his home trashed and abandoned.
The last anyone has seen or heard from the Egyptian guitar God was in the spring of 2014, when he took to the Decibel Geek Podcast to thank his fans for being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame, and to announce he was auctioning off his collection of guitars and various KISSmemorabilia. All items quickly sold out at bargain basement prices.
Vinnie is considered by KISS fans the most talented and influential guitarist in the band’s storied history. Although his time with the group was short lived (one album/tour) his contributions have stood the test of time. On KISS’ most recent concert tour, 65% of songs played were Vincent penned classics.
By 1982, the once “Hottest Band in the World” had gone ice cold and hordes of Kiss Army soldiers deserted to heavier bands such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Motorhead. KISS had become a joke due to forays into disco (I Was Made For Loving You, Baby), concept records like 1981’s Music for the Elder, and what fans consider the weakest album of their 40-plus year career, 1982’s Creature of the Night.
Vincent replaced original KISS guitarist Ace ‘Spaced’ Frehley in 1983 and single-handedly rescued the band from the cut-out-bins of the late seventies/early Eighties. Thanks to his songwriting and virtuosic guitar solos, 1983’s Lick it Up returned KISS to former glories. Vinnie gave the music added depth and something KISS never had before, credibility.
A critical and financial success, Lick it Up went on that year to outsell Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Def Leppards’s Pyromania, securing the band’s one and only #1 album on the Billboard chart. KISS was once again selling out arenas and stadiums around the world instead of the half-filled hockey barns of the previous few years.
Band leaders Paul Stanly and Gene Simons grew jealous of being upstaged by the warrior’s jaw dropping guitar theatrics. Fans and journalists alike credited Vincent for the group’s resurgence, creating even deeper animosity within the band. The final straw came after 137,000 fans in Brazil (KISS’ biggest concert) chanted VINNIE! VINNIE! throughout the night’s performance. The following morning Vincent was dishonorably discharged and sent home.
In the years after his split from KISS, Vinnie enjoyed success with his own Vinnie Vincent Invasion, releasing two hit albums and selling out back to back world tours. Their single Boyz Are Gonna Ankh was nominated for best rock vocal performance by a duo or group at the 29th annual Grammy awards, losing out to Missionary Man by Eurythmics.
Burnt out from the constant album/tour/album/tour grind, Vinnie retired from the music business in the early 90’s to focus efforts on regaining his full Kiss Army pension and rights to his iconic ankh warrior makeup and character design. After a decade of costly litigation the case remains unresolved, much like the current whereabouts and well-being of the former superhero of KISS.
The above content courtesy of National Report website
