BRUCE KULICK On His Post-Heart Surgery Recovery: 'I Have Much More Music And Many More Moments To Experience In My Life'

Former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick has offered an update on his recovery, less than two weeks after undergoing "heart valve surgery".

The 72-year-old musician, who also played with GRAND FUNK RAILROAD, took to his social media on Sunday (May 3) — the twelfth day after his operation — to write: "My recent open-heart surgery and 8 days in the hospital were hard to experience. Being home now with [my wife] Lisa to recover is day by day. Happily, I do feel the slow improvements, and the process takes a long time.

"A birth defect in my aortic valve (bicuspid) was becoming nearly 'critical' from severe stenosis. Taking care of the valve before a life threatening heart event happens in order to live long was the right choice. Ignoring it would have been foolish and dangerous.

"I have much more music and many more moments to experience in my life. So now is the time to heal from my surgery and I view this is as my primary goal treating it with dedication and strength, along with my loving wife Lisa who has been beyond incredible to me. I am blessed to have her.

"For those of you that have reached out to me and shared support, it means much more than you can ever imagine. Keep the good thoughts and prayers coming. It's inspiration for me as I go on this difficult journey."

On April 25, Bruce revealed on his social media that his operation was "a success" and went on to thank his "heart surgeon and their fantastic staff for looking after me like a rockstar". He added that he was "on the road to recovery" and "taking it one step at a time". He also wrote that he was "grateful" for his wife Lisa and all her "love and support".

After a media outlet erroneously reported that Bruce had undergone an "emergency open heart surgery", Kulick clarified that "this was NOT emergency surgery" and explained that "an aortic birth defect caused a valve to become a danger".

Kulick's former bandmate in KISS, Gene Simmons, was among the people who offered words of support to Bruce on social media, writing: "Go Bruce, Go. With Lisa by your side, you can lick anything. You know we're all rooting for you. And can't wait for you and Lisa to cook up a new batch of pancakes for all of us."

According to the Mayo Clinic, "heart valve surgery is a procedure to treat heart valve disease. Heart valve disease happens when at least one of the four heart valves is not working properly. Heart valves keep blood flowing in the correct direction through the heart."

Kulick joined KISS in 1984 and remained the band's lead guitarist for 12 years.

Bruce accompanied KISS on the "Animalize" tour and continued with the band until the 1996 reunion tour. Bruce is heavily featured on "Kissology - Vol. 2" and "Vol. 3", the band's DVDs spanning KISS's historic career.

Kulick — who in 2024 launched his own brand to offer period-correct guitars inspired by his KISS era — played on six KISS studio albums and two live records.

Bruce performed at last year's "KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas" weekend-long event at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas on November 14-16. He is scheduled to play at the 2026 edition of the same event.

Kulick did not take part in either of KISS's farewell tours, in 2000-2001, and 2019-2023. Tommy Thayer has been KISS's guitarist since 2002.

In addition to his years in KISS, Bruce toured or recorded with Meat Loaf, Billy Squier, Michael Bolton, AVANTASIA, LORDI, UNION and many others. He frequently makes appearances at guitar shows, clinics and fan autograph events.