Gene Simmons (R) and Paul Stanley of the rock group "Kiss"
© AFP/File Lucy NicholsonWASHINGTON (AFP) - Stanley, 55, said in a letter to fans that paramedics were called in to briefly get his heartbeat into a normal pattern.
"Not knowing if this episode was life threatening made it even more exhausting," he wrote.
"After consulting with both the paramedics and a cardiologist at Cedar Sinai (hospital), they confirmed my worst fear. They said that I would put myself at risk if I tried to do the show."
The however show went on without Stanley. "It was Paul himself, who insisted that the band play the show without him," the group said on their official website.
Gene Simmons -- the performer best known for his especially long tongue -- walked on stage and told fans about the incident, and asked if they should perform anyway.
"The crowd responded with a deafening chant of yes, yes, yes," the group said, and the show became a tribute to Stanley.
Kiss, formed in New York in 1973, is perhaps best known for performing with black-and-white face paint and outlandish costumes, and holding a flashy stage show that includes pyrotechnics and smoking guitars.
The group split up in the 1980s, then re-united in the mid-1990s. Simmons and Stanley are the two remaining original band members.
©AFP