Tommy Lee is a famous American musician and founding member of the band Motley Crew.
He gained more recognision through his marriage with Pamela Anderson. So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about the musician.
- His full name is Thomas Lee Bass
- He was born in October 3, 1962
- He is an American musician
- He is the founding member of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe
- As well as being the band’s long-term drummer
- Lee founded rap metal band Methods of Mayhem,
- He has pursued solo musical projects
- Tommy Lee was born Thomas Lee Bass on October 3, 1962, in Athens, Greece
- His father was David Lee Thomas Bass, an American U.S. Army sergeant
- His mother was Vassiliki “Voula” Papadimitriou, a contestant on the 1957 Miss Greece beauty contest
- He has a younger sister, Athena, who is also a drummer
- When Lee was approximately two years old, his father moved the family back to the United States, settling in California
- Tommy Lee received his first drum sticks when he was four years old
- And his first proper drum kit when he was a teenager
- He 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 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
- In the late 1970s Lee’s band, Suite 19, was a regular on the Sunset Strip club circuit in Los Angeles along with other up-and-coming acts such as Van Halen and Quiet Riot
- He became acquainted with bassist Nikki Sixx, whose bands Sister and later London played the same circuit
- Sixx was forming a theatrical band that borrowed heavily from Sister’s fusion of occult imagery with a theatrical heavy metal performance, and became a fan of Lee’s drumming
- It was during this time period that Lee dropped his surname and earned the nickname “T-bone” due to his 6′ 2½″ height and his lean physique
- When London finally broke up in 1981, Lee and Sixx decided to form a new group together. Shortly afterward, guitarist Mick Mars joined the band
- Seeking a charismatic frontman, Lee mentioned to the others a singer, Vince Neil, whom he had known casually in high school
- Neil soon joined the group, and Mötley Crüe was formed
- Tommy Lee has been married four times
- His first wife was Elaine Starchuk
- On May 10, 1986, Lee married his second wife, actress Heather Locklear
- The couple divorced in 1993
- Their relationship was later chronicled in the Mötley Crüe biographical film The Dirt
- The film was released in March 2019 on Netflix
- Before meeting actress and Playboy Playmate Pamela Anderson, Lee was engaged to model Bobbie Brown
- On February 19, 1995, just four days after meeting her, Lee married Anderson
- They have two sons together: Brandon Thomas Lee (born June 5, 1996) and Dylan Jagger Lee (born December 29, 1997)
- The couple divorced in 1998
- Although divorced, the couple reunited briefly upon Lee’s release from jail but eventually split again in 2001
- From 2002 until 2003, Lee was engaged to dancer Mayte Garcia, ex-wife of Prince
- Garcia sang on Lee’s album Never a Dull Moment and toured with him
- In 2008, it was announced that Lee and his ex-wife Anderson were back together and living with each other and their children, but they split for good soon afterward
- From 2014 until 2017, Lee was engaged to Greek-German singer Sofia Toufa
- Lee announced on February 14, 2018, that he had proposed to his girlfriend, social media celebrity Brittany Furlan
- They were married a year later on February 14, 2019
- Lee and Anderson had videotaped their sexual activities while on a houseboat on Lake Mead
- The video was stolen in 1995, released on the internet, and became a prime example of viral pornography
- According to The Dirt, Lee claims that he was having work done at his house, and a person working at the house found the tape and sold it
- Anderson sued the video distribution company, Internet Entertainment Group
- Ultimately, the Lees entered into a confidential settlement agreement with IEG
- Thereafter, the company began making the tape available to subscribers to its websites again tripling the normal traffic on the website
- A fictionalized limited episode series, Pam & Tommy, debuted on Hulu in February 2022 chronicling the theft and distribution of the stolen tape
- Sebastian Stan portrayed Lee and Lily James was cast as Pamela Anderson
- In 1998, Lee served six months in county jail after pleading no contest to kicking Pamela Anderson while she was holding their son Dylan
- During an altercation over Anderson’s refusal to call and ask her parents not to come over to the family’s house
- Lee assaulted his wife, leaving her with “bruises, a torn fingernail and fear for the safety of her two sons, Dylan and Brandon
- In May 2000, Lee served five days in jail for violating his probation by drinking alcohol
- Lee faced a 1998 lawsuit when he allegedly exposed a right-facing Nazi swastika tattoo on his arm to public scrutiny (the tattoo was actually a left-facing swastika)
- In 1996, Lee had pleaded no contest to criminal charges of battery against a Jewish photographer after Lee attacked the man outside the famous Viper Room, in L.A.
- When the photographer sued Lee, the swastika tattoo (which has since been removed) was said to be visible
- And Lee’s lawyer argued it would inflame the jury and create unfair prejudice against Lee
- Shortly after claiming that the introduction of the tattoo into the court record would produce prejudice, Lee denied its existence
- Lee’s attorney reported the swastika was a “stupid tattoo obtained several years ago”
- In October 1997, Lee, along with Nikki Sixx, were arrested in North Carolina after instigating a riot during the 1997 concert at Greensboro Coliseum
- Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx allegedly made racist comments to a black security guard, suggesting that the crowd attack him
- Sixx and Lee were said to have poured beer over the guard’s head
- On June 16, 2001, 4-year-old Daniel Karven-Veres drowned in Lee’s swimming pool while attending a birthday party for Lee’s 5-year-old son, Brandon
- Daniel’s parents, James Veres and Ursula Karven, sued Lee for negligence
- Lee was cleared by a jury in April 2003
- In September 2007, Lee was kicked out of the MTV Video Music Awards ceremony after engaging in a fight with Kid Rock
- Kid Rock was cited for assault on Lee and pleaded guilty
Pam & Tommy Trivia | 40 facts about the new mini series
Got anything to add?