Simmons 'blackmailed' over sex tape

Rock star Gene Simmons has revealed the people behind the release of his sex tape have tried to blackmail him in the past.

A video claiming to show the rocker sleeping with an Austrian energy drink spokesmodel leaked on the internet last week. Simmons quickly launched legal action, describing the tape as "garbage".

Posting on his official website, Simmons said: "You should know for the record, the garbage was recorded without my knowledge and is a page from my past. It happened and there's nothing I can do to repair that. The black-and-white footage may have been decades old.

"The entity behind the garbage has repeatedly tried to make money off of this and we have always refused. This is not the first time the entity has tried to blackmail and extort us. We have always refused and we will continue to refuse."

Simmons, who stars with his family in reality show Family Jewels, has lived with actress and model Shannon Tweed since 1985.