Paul Stanley

The flamboyant, bare-chested and motor-mouthed frontman for the venerable glam-rock group KISS, Paul Stanley was, along with bassist and marketing whiz Gene Simmons, its longest-running member, its chief songwriter and its most tireless champion for over four decades. Decked out in his "Starchild" makeup and costume, Stanley was the consummate rock singer, belting out his group's paeans to girls and the rock star lifestyle like "Rock and Roll All Nite," "Firehouse" and "Strutter" with blue-eyed soul and sass. Off the stage, he frequently propped up the group by pushing them into the studio or on tour when record sales flagged or band members departed. In doing so, he helped to usher KISS from its earliest days through its ascent to stardom in the mid-'70s and back into the spotlight in the late '90s via a wave of KISS nostalgia. Though he and the group never received the admiration of the mainstream rock press, Paul Stanley and company maintained the loyalties of its countless fans - better known as the KISS Army - many of whom adopted the band as a lifestyle for longer than many of the acts inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In doing so, he became one of popular music's most well loved and recognizable performers.