Gene Simmons Issues Apology After Calling Prince's Death 'Pathetic'

"Needless to say, I didn't express myself properly here," the rocker said on Twitter.

Gene Simmons has released an apology after calling Prince’s death “pathetic” in an interview with Newsweek.

The KISS bassist took to Twitter to say he was sorry for the comments he made about Prince’s recent passing.

Read: Inmate Claims to Be Prince's Son, Requests DNA Test

In a lengthy post, Simmons wrote: “I got such sh** from my family for my big mouth again. I apologize – I have a long history of getting very angry at what drugs do to families / friends of addicts.”

Simmons added: “Needless to say, I didn’t express myself properly here – I don’t shy away from controversy, and angry critics really don’t bother me at all. If I think I’m right, I’ll throw up a finger and dig my heels and laugh. But this time, I was not. So, my apologies.”

The rocker created a firestorm on Tuesday when he told Newsweek recently: “I think Prince was heads, hands and feet above all the rest of them. I thought he left [Michael] Jackson in the dust. Prince was way beyond that. But how pathetic that he killed himself. Don’t kid yourself, that’s what he did. Slowly, I’ll grant you... but that’s what drugs and alcohol is a slow death.”

Read: Cops Want to Interview Doctor As Part of Prince Death Investigation: Report

In the interview, Simmons added: "Bowie was the most tragic of all because it was real sickness. All the other ones were a choice. [Prince's] drugs killed him. What do you think, he died from a cold?"

Prince passed away April 21. He was discovered in an elevator inside his Paisley Park compound outside Minneapolis. The 57-year-old’s cause of death has not been determined.

Watch: Why Police Were Called 46 Times to Prince's Paisley Park Compound in the Last 5 Years