David Lee Roth responds to Gene Simmons’ insults with a middle finger

Van Halen frontman used few words in his response to Simmons who suggested he was ‘past his prime’

David Lee Roth has responded to the disparaging comments made about him by Gene Simmons.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Simmons confirmed that Roth would no longer be supporting KISS on their farewell tour.

Simmons applauded the Van Halen musician as having once been “the ultimate frontman”, however, went on to suggest that the singer was no longer “in his prime”.

He said: “I don’t know what happened to him… something. And you get modern-day Dave.”

The bassist and co-lead singer of KISS continued to compare Roth to Elvis Presley.

“I prefer to remember Elvis Presley in his prime. Sneering lips, back in Memphis, you know, doing all that,” he said. “I don’t want to think of bloated naked Elvis on the bathroom floor.”

Roth has since responded to Simmons’ insults on Instagram.

The singer shared a black-and-white image of a child wearing sunglasses and throwing up his middle finger, accompanied by the text: “Roth to Simmons.”

The 66-year-old shared the same image on his profile 18 times, attracting applause from his fans.

“Simmons has a lot of nerve calling someone else ‘past their prime,’ wrote one user.

Another added: “Good for you Dave, Kiss is so overrated as players and song writers.”

KISS have announced that they will be completing a second residency in Las Vegas, following their 2014 stint at the city’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.