KISS is being sued by the family of longtime guitar tech Fran Stueber over his 2021 death from COVID-19.
Per Rolling Stone, the lawsuit was filed by Catherine Stueber, Fran’s widow, in a Los Angeles court. Named as defendants in the lawsuit are Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, KISS manager Doc McGhee, Live Nation and Marriott International.
The outlet quotes the lawsuit, which states, “As a direct and proximate result of the dangerous condition created by Defendants, Decedent suffered fatal injuries and Plaintiffs suffered damages, including, but not limited to funeral and burial expenses, the permanent deprivation of the love, companionship, affection, solace, society, comfort, assistance, services and financial contributions, and moral support of Decedent in an amount according to proof at trial.”
Additionally, the lawsuit claims Stueber was “abandoned in Detroit” at a Four Points Hotel by Sheraton once he tested positive for COVID-19. Stueber allegedly contacted McGhee while quarantining at the hotel when his symptoms got worse. The lawsuit claims the KISS manager said he would send medical personnel to check up on Stueber. McGhee allegedly sent a crew member to check on Stueber at the hotel but couldn’t reach him. The lawsuit then claims the crew member called local police, who entered Stueber’s hotel room and found him dead after quarantining for two days.
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In October 2021, Rolling Stone published a lengthy feature where they spoke to three anonymous KISS roadies. These roadies claimed “not enough was done to protect them” and “the tour didn’t take strict enough safety measures, which they say sickened several tour workers and potentially cost Stueber his life.”
These three roadies levied a number of accusations about tour operations, including not being tested every day. They even mentioned that about 13 crew members of the nearly 70-person team tested positive for COVID-19, but there were no postponements until Stueber’s death.
Rolling Stone reported, “Four different workers on the tour described Stueber as noticeably ill with a cough and breathing troubles in the days leading up to his death, starting around a week before he was quarantined. … When it came to testing, it was largely on the shoulders of the staff to opt in, which some chose not to do because a positive test would put them in quarantine at a hotel in a random city.”