Tommy Lee is one of the most recognizable names in rock music, known for his incredible drumming skills and larger-than-life personality. We look at his life and some lesser known facts about the legendary drummer in the article below
Tommy Lee’s Beginnings
Born Tommy Lee Bass on October 3, 1962, in Athens, Greece, Lee’s family moved to California when he was just a year old. Not long after, Lee would receive his first pair of drum sticks at the tender age of four and his first full drum kit in his early teenage years.
MÖTLEY CRÜE
Tommy began playing in local bands as a teenager, honing his skills and developing a unique style. In 1981, Lee joined forces with bassist/songwriter Nikki Sixx to form MÖTLEY CRÜE, a band that quickly became one of the most popular rock acts of the 1980s. Known for their hard-hitting sound, outrageous antics, and larger-than-life personalities, MÖTLEY CRÜE became icons of the era, with Lee’s drumming playing a key role in the band’s success.
Relationships
Over the years, Tommy has had several notable relationships, including a high-profile marriage to actress Pamela Anderson from 1995 to 1998. A videotape of the couple, which featured them having sex multiple times, was famously leaked in 1998, causing a media frenzy at the time and a limited series on Netflix, based on the events, which premiered in 2022. Tommy was also arrested in 1998 for spousal abuse after assaulting Anderson while she held the couple’s son. He would serve four months in jail as a result of the incident.
Since his split from Anderson, Lee has had several other relationships, including a long-term relationship with Mayte Garcia, who was once married to Prince. In recent years, Lee has been attached to social media personality Brittany Furlan, who he married in 2019.
Fatherhood
Despite his controversial past, Lee has been a devoted father to his two children, Brandon and Dylan, whom he had with Anderson. In 2018, Lee made headlines when he got into a physical altercation with Brandon, which resulted in Lee being knocked unconscious. The incident strained Lee‘s relationship with his son, but the two have since reconciled.
Body Of Work
Tommy‘s net worth is estimated to be around $70 million, thanks to his successful career with MÖTLEY CRÜE and other ventures. In addition to his work with the band, Lee has released several solo albums over the years, including “Never a Dull Moment” and “Tommyland: The Ride“. He has also dabbled in acting, with roles in movies like “Vanilla Sky” and “10th & Wolf.”
Lee‘s most recent venture has been the launch of his 2020 solo album, “Andro,” which features collaborations with several other artists, including Post Malone, Killvein, and Lukas Rossi. The album was released in 2020 and received generally positive reviews from critics and fans alike. Tommy also continues to tour with MÖTLEY CRÜE who wrapped up their “The Stadium Tour” in 2022 with co-headliners DEF LEPPARD and special guests POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS, which proved to be one of the year’s most financially successful tours.
Tommy Lee The Experience
While Lee‘s life has been full of controversy and drama, he has also proven to be a talented musician, performer, and businessman. With a net worth of $70 million, he has built a successful career that has spanned several decades, and he continues to be an icon in the world of rock music.
Tommy is a fascinating figure, known for his incredible drumming skills, outrageous personality, and controversial past. From his early years as a child growing up in California to his rise to fame with MÖTLEY CRÜE, Lee’s life has been full of wild and crazy experiences that have captured the attention of fans and media alike. While he has had his share of ups and downs over the years, he remains a beloved and iconic figure throughout the world.
Tommy Lee: Here are 13 Facts About The MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer that you may not have known:
1 – Tommy‘s father, David Lee Thomas Bass, was an American U.S. Army sergeant, while his mother Vassiliki “Voula” Papadimitriou, was once a contestant in the 1957 Miss Greece beauty contest.
2 – Tommy dropped out of high school to pursue a career in music, starting with the L.A. club band SUITE 19. As a teenager, he listened to and was influenced by LED ZEPPELIN, VAN HALEN, CHEAP TRICK, KISS, AC/DC and SWEET. His main drumming influences are John Bonham, Tommy Aldridge, Alex Van Halen and Terry Bozzio.
3 – In 2004, Lee starred in a reality show on NBC titled “Tommy Lee Goes to College” to which he was also a producer. In spring 2008, Tommy began filming another reality TV show with rapper Ludacris for Planet Green (Discovery Channel‘s 24-hour eco-friendly network) titled “Battleground Earth“. In 2019, Tommy guest starred on the Season 7, Episode 14 episode of the ABC sitcom The Goldbergs, appearing as Professor Lee.
4 – Lee released his autobiography, “Tommyland” and his second solo album, “Tommyland: The Ride” in 2005. The CD featured as a soundtrack to the book and includes the singles, “Tryin to be Me“, “Good Times” which was the theme song to his reality TV series “Goes to College” and “Hello, Again” which features Andrew McMahon from SOMETHING CORPORATE and JACK’s MANNEQUIN.
5 – Tommy‘s high-profile relationships and marriages have included actress Heather Locklear, model Elaine Bergen, German/Greek singer Sofia Toufa and actress Pamela Anderson, whom he famously married after knowing her for just four days.
6 – Aside from MÖTLEY CRÜE, Tommy‘s other musical endeavors include touring as an electronic dance music DJ with his METHODS OF MAYHEM DJ/production partner, DJ Aero (birth name: Chester Deitz). As DJs, they are also known as “Electro Mayhem“, and clocked over 60 club dates as DJs throughout North America in 2007 alone, with stops in the Bahamas and Central America.
Lee and Aero debuted as DJs on the mainstage at Ultra Music Festival during Winter Music Conference (WMC) in 2004. In 2009, Lee appeared in select cities with Sharam, one half of Grammy-winning Deep Dish, accompanying Sharam live on the piano during his house DJ sets. Lee and DJ Aero also accompanied deadmau5 for his 2011 Meowington Hax tour.
7 – Tommy has been involved in numerous physical altercations with other musicians, including MÖTLEY CRÜE bandmate Vince Neil, GUNS N’ ROSES frontman Axl Rose, and Kid Rock.
8 – In 2014, Tommy performed on the SMASHING PUMPKINS‘ “Monuments to an Elegy” album.
9 – Lee is a supporter of animal rights and PETA. In 2010, Tommy sent a letter to Terry Prather, the president of SeaWorld, protesting the treatment of Tilikum the orca. Lee believed the animal should be set free and claimed that SeaWorld would not comply, as Tilikum is their primary sperm donor. Lee wrote that he was appalled by SeaWorld’s “sick and twisted” methods for obtaining Tilikum’s sperm. Lee concluded that he wished to avoid further tragedies of trainers getting killed by orcas, as these tragedies had resulted from the whales’ aversion to captivity.
10 – Tommy played keyboards with DEFTONES at a benefit show for their now deceased bassist Chi Cheng in 2009.
11 – In addition to MÖTLEY CRÜE and METHODS OF MAYHEM, Lee has made guest appearances on albums by other artists, such as Stuart Hamm, NINE INCH NAILS and Rob Zombie. He also contributed a song, “Planet Boom” (originally on MÖTLEY CRÜE‘s Quaternary EP) to the soundtrack of then-wife Pamela Anderson‘s 1996 movie, “Barb Wire“, and produced 2 songs on an album for the pre-GOLDFINGER project from John Feldmann and Simon Williams, the ELECTRIC LOVE HOGS.
12 – During NINE INCH NAILS‘s recording of “The Downward Spiral“, Lee recalled bringing several porn stars (including a woman with a well-earned reputation as a “squirter”) to A&M Studios — where Trent Reznor was working at the time — as a “birthday present” for NIN bassist Danny Lohner. “I bring the girls across the hall into the Nine Inch Nails studio,” Lee recalled, “lay them out on Trent‘s grand piano, say, ‘Dudes, set up the mikes, get some grapes, roll the tape and have a seat. You’re not gonna believe this.’ The girls take the grapes and stick them in the squirter’s p**sy only to suck them out and stick more in.”
The apparent moans of pleasure were picked up by the studio mics, and subsequently ended up on the beginning of the track “Big Man With a Gun.” “They reversed it and fucked with the tone of it,” Lee explained. “But if you listen closely you can hear her.”
13 – Tommy launched an OnlyFans account in 2022. It comes after the MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer announced in September of 2022 at a show in Las Vegas that he was joining the subscription-based social media platform which is popular with sex workers, where users can buy and sell original content.
In addition to these 13 facts, there are many other interesting tidbits about Tommy that fans may not know. For example, he once had a pet monkey named Elvis, and he is an avid fan of extreme sports like snowboarding and skydiving.
In Conclusion
Tommy is not only a skilled drummer, but also a complex individual with a variety of interests and experiences. From his early struggles with addiction to his later success as a reality TV star and entrepreneur, Lee’s life has been full of ups and downs. Despite facing numerous obstacles, he has continued to pursue his passions and make a name for himself in the music industry. Whether you’re a fan of his music, his personality, or both, there’s no denying that Tommy Lee is a fascinating and multifaceted figure who has left an indelible mark on popular culture.