The death of rock and roll innovator Chuck Berry last month sent mournful reverberations around the rock world.
Berry was laid to rest in a memorial service in his hometown of St. Louis, MO, on Sunday, April 9.
Among the rock royalty in attendance was Gene Simmons of KISS.
Simmons admitted that behind his sunglasses he was holding back tears. He spoke of the massive impact Berry's music had on him, and he highlighted Berry's early struggles against racism.
“Look at what Chuck Berry and his music has done," Simmons said. "I see white faces in the audience. When Chuck first started that would never have happened. He broke down the barriers, made all kinds of peoples’ hearts and minds open up to the idea that we all belong to the same people."
The bassist posted a message about Berry via his Facebook page and also paid tribute to him during a solo show in March.
Original article by Andrew Magnotta at iHeartRadio