Tommy Lee

Tommy Lee, born Thomas Lee Bass on October 3, 1962 in Athens, Greece, is best known as the charismatic co‑founder and drummer of the seminal hard‑rock/metal outfit Mötley Crüe. The son of an American army sergeant and a former Miss Greece, Lee moved to California at age two, where his fascination with percussion began at four and matured into a teenage passion for a drum kit. He attended Royal Oak High School, met future bandmate Vince Neil, and dropped out to chase a music career, first playing in the Sunset Strip club band Suite 19. In the early 1980s he linked up with bassist Nikki Sixx, guitarist Mick Mars, and vocalist Vince Neil to form Mötley Crüe, a group whose flamboyant image, relentless touring, and chart‑topping releases such as Shout at the Devil (1983) and Dr. Feelgood (1989) defined the era of glam metal. Lee’s stage antics—revolving drum kits, mooning the crowd, and the infamous “T‑bone” nickname—cemented his reputation as a show‑stopper, while his off‑stage exploits with drugs and parties fed the band’s notorious legend. Beyond Mötley Crüe, Lee launched the rap‑metal project Methods of Mayhem, released solo albums Never a Dull Moment (2002) and Tommyland: The Ride (2005), and formed Rock Star Supernova in 2006, showcasing his versatility as a drummer, vocalist, and producer. He has also ventured into reality television, authored an autobiography, and performed as an EDM DJ alongside collaborators like DJ Aero, illustrating a career that spans four decades of musical evolution. Personal life has been equally headline‑making, with four marriages—including to actresses Heather Locklear and Pamela Anderson—and two sons, Brandon and Dylan, underscoring a public persona as complex as his percussive rhythms.