Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe) bio, age, height, wife and children, net worth 2025

Biography of Tommy Lee

Tommy Lee's fame as Mötley Crüe's wild drummer comes less from his musical skills and more from his outrageous behavior and wild lifestyle. His string of high-profile romances broke the hearts of Hollywood's biggest stars, including Pamela Anderson during her Baywatch heyday.

Childhood

Thomas Lee Bass was born in Greece on October 3, 1962. His father was stationed with the U.S. Air Force and moved around frequently. During his service in Athens, he met his future wife – Miss Greece 1957, Vasiliki Papadimitriou.

They married just days after meeting, despite not speaking each other's languages and communicating only through gestures, pictures, and dictionaries.

In 1963, shortly after Tommy's birth, the family relocated to California. Later, the couple had a daughter they named Athena Lee, after the city where her parents fell in love.

Tommy's musical talent manifested at a young age. In interviews, he's recalled how at age three, he'd sit in front of overturned pots and bang them with spoons. Noticing their son's interest, his parents gifted him his first drum on his fourth birthday. Tommy was ecstatic and spent hours on end with his new instrument.

As he grew up, Tommy developed his musical taste, becoming obsessed with rock bands like Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and Deep Purple. His idol was Peter Criss, the drummer from Kiss. As a teenager, Tommy got an even better gift – a full drum set. He dropped out of school immediately, deciding to focus entirely on music.

Early Bands

In the late 1970s, Lee joined the band Suite 19, which performed in Los Angeles clubs. This local band was nowhere near making it big, with musicians constantly coming and going, so Tommy didn't expect much from them.

But backstage at one of the clubs, Tommy met Nikki Sixx, guitarist from the band Sister. Everyone could see how similar these guys were – both wild and fearless, both in their music and their lives.

When Sister broke up, Nikki started a band called London, but that didn't last either. In 1981, Sixx decided to create something completely different. He borrowed Sister's theatrical look, heavy metal sound, and dark supernatural themes, then immediately asked Tommy to be his drummer – the guy's skills had blown him away.

By then, the drummer had dropped his last name and just went by Tommy Lee. Friends called him "T-Bone" because of his tall, skinny frame. They found guitarist Mick Mars through a newspaper ad. They needed a dynamic frontman, and Lee thought of Vince Neil, a vocalist he knew from school. He became the final member of the new band, which was named Mötley Crüe.

Mötley Crüe

In November 1981, the musicians released their debut album titled "Too Fast for Love". The band's debut was well-received by critics and listeners alike – it made it into the top 100 greatest heavy metal releases.

Mötley Crüe – Too Fast for Love (1982)

Producers took notice: a few months later, major label Elektra Records offered them a favorable deal. A year later, the record was reissued under the Elektra Records label.

In 1983 Mötley Crüe released their second album "Shout at the Devil", which marked a real breakthrough for the band. The release quickly became one of the best-selling records of the 80s. Several singles from the album made it into the global music charts.

Ozzy Osbourne noticed the musicians, and in 1984, the band opened for him at one of his concerts. By that time, Mötley Crüe already had their first fans, who appreciated the musicians' style – bright makeup, high-heeled shoes, and extravagant outfits.

Mötley Crüe - The Pop N Rocker Game Live Performance (1984)

Fame brought serious problems for the musicians. Band members frequently performed drunk, used drugs, and behaved erratically on tour, leading to run-ins with the law. Mötley Crüe earned a notorious reputation as drug addicts and troublemakers, but this only boosted their popularity.

Mötley Crüe earned a reputation as drug addicts and brawlers

In 1984, Vince Neil was charged with vehicular manslaughter due to a fatal car accident, although he only served 19 days of his sentence, followed by a five-year probation. Three years later, Nikki Sixx narrowly escaped death from a heroin overdose.

Producers had no choice but to cancel tours and send all the musicians to rehab. Among the patients in rehab was Tommy Lee, who was also struggling with substance and alcohol addiction.

The band reassembled in 1989 and recorded the album "Dr. Feelgood", which brought them unprecedented success. The tracks from it held top positions in the charts for 114 weeks, and two of the singles - "Kickstart My Heart" and "Dr. Feelgood" - were even nominated for Grammy Awards.

Mötley Crüe - Dr. Feelgood

However, internal conflicts and disputes began tearing the band apart. In 1992, Vince Neil left his bandmates behind, and in 1999 Tommy Lee quit the band, citing his disillusionment with rock music.

Solo Career

Over the years, Lee established himself as one of the most recognizable rock drummers in the world. In concerts, he'd put on incredible performances, playing on a rotating drum kit. However, the musician grew tired of heavy metal and became fascinated with alternative music and rapcore.

Mötley Crüe - Tommy's Drum Rig - Live in Los Angeles

He founded his own band, Methods of Mayhem. Within a year, the band managed to record just two singles, which received lukewarm reviews from critics.

Methods of Mayhem – New Skin

In 2000, Methods of Mayhem disbanded, and Tommy ventured into DJing. He recorded two solo electronic albums that were well received by his fans. In 2004, he gave in to his managers' persuasion and rejoined Mötley Crüe.

Reunion

Even though the band started performing together again from the mid-2000s, they couldn't regain their former popularity. They recorded the album "Red, White & Crüe" in 2005 and embarked on a tour for its promotion.

In 2007, the other musicians filed a lawsuit against manager Tommy Lee for appearing on several controversial reality shows, thereby damaging Mötley Crüe's reputation. The matter was settled amicably.

However, the band was still plagued by internal conflicts. In 2009, the band celebrated the 20th anniversary of the "Dr. Feelgood" album with a grand concert, and in 2014, they announced their breakup. The farewell tour concluded a year later in Los Angeles.

Film Roles and Other Projects

Tommy Lee also tried his hand at acting. In 2001, he made a cameo appearance in "Vanilla Sky" alongside Penélope Cruz and Tom Cruise, and a year later, he appeared in the series "Fastlane".

In 2005, he was invited to join the cast of the crime drama "10th & Wolf". Additionally, in 2013, he had a minor role in the comedy series "The Goldbergs". The drummer also has literary experience.

In 2005, along with other members of Mötley Crüe, he co-authored an autobiography titled "The Dirt", in which the musicians candidly wrote about their careers and addictions.

In 2019, a film by the same name based on the book was released on the streaming platform Netflix. The film was accompanied by an album of soundtracks recorded by the musicians of Mötley Crüe, who had specially reunited for this purpose.

Machine Gun kelly scene in The Dirt (2019)

The roles of the band members in the film were played by other stars. For instance, Tommy Lee's character was portrayed by popular young musician Colson Baker, better known by his stage name Machine Gun Kelly.

Personal Life

The drummer of the popular rock band enjoyed plenty of success with women. In 1982, at one of Mötley Crüe's concerts, Tommy Lee met model Elaine Starchuk. They married a few months later, but the union lasted only a year. Elaine left Tommy for the band's guitarist, Nikki Sixx.

Wedding of Tommy Lee and Elaine Starchuk

The drummer's second wife was actress Heather Locklear, whom he married in 1986. She'd often escape from film sets to clubs to support her husband during his performances. The actress was enchanted by the musician's image, so she forgave him for his addiction to alcohol and drugs and his constant physical abuse. Heather turned a blind eye to rumours about Lee's infidelities with numerous fans. After seven years of this life, she finally filed for divorce.

In 1995, Tommy got married for the third time - to model and actress Pamela Anderson. He repeated his father's pattern, tying the knot just four days after meeting her. They met at the Los Angeles club "Sanctuary", and Tommy was accompanied by model Bobbie Brown. Later, Anderson recalled: "He came up, grabbed me, and licked my face. I thought he was cool, friendly, a good guy, so I gave him my number."

But the stunning Pam was too irresistible for him. Later, Anderson recalled their union was immediately plagued by scandals: they had heated public arguments, Tommy was excessively jealous, but every dispute ended in an equally passionate reconciliation. On the set of the film "Don't Call Me Baby", Tommy never left the shooting location and would indulge in passionate lovemaking with Pamela in the trailer every spare minute.

They were the most controversial couple in show business

In 1995, their private video, filmed during a vacation in Mexico, along with photographs, found its way onto the internet. The couple suspected that the footage had been stolen by an electrician who'd nursed a grudge after Tommy refused to pay for his shoddy work on their mansion. They pursued lengthy legal action over this invasion of privacy, but eventually admitted defeat.

That situation nearly destroyed their marriage, especially since not long before their home movie titled Pam and Tommy: The Stolen Honeymoon circulated online, Pamela had lost a child who would have been their firstborn.

Nevertheless, following the miscarriage, the couple was blessed with parenthood twice. In 1996, Pamela gave birth to their son, Brandon Thomas, and a year later, their second son, Dylan Jagger.

But in 1998, the actress sought a divorce, weary of Lee's antics. With his career floundering, he increasingly lost control of his temper and by the time of their divorce, he'd spent a total of six months in jail for assaulting his wife.

Even after their separation, the couple was frequently seen together, rekindling their relationship and then parting ways, but always remaining involved in each other's lives. In 2002, Tommy and Pamela decided to get symbolic tattoos, using the same needle. Both were later diagnosed with Hepatitis C, a condition that took almost 13 years to treat.

By 2014, Tommy had finally cut ties with his ex-wife and announced his engagement to Sofia Toufa, though the wedding never happened.

In 2016, paparazzi caught the musician with a young brunette—popular Instagram influencer Brittany Furlan. Two years later, Tommy proposed and in 2019, they got married. Over the next few years, they posted romantic photos on social media, with fans believing Lee had finally settled down.

The wedding of Tommy Lee and Brittany Furlan

Tommy Lee Now

In 2020, Mötley Crüe announced a reunion and promised fans a massive stadium tour. However, the shows were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic—first to 2021, then to 2022.

In 2021, filming began on the series "Pam & Tommy," a biographical project about Anderson and Lee's relationship. The story followed the online leak of the couple's intimate video and its impact on their relationship. The role of Pamela was played by actress Lily James, while Sebastian Stan portrayed Tommy Lee.

PAM & TOMMY Trailer (2022)

After the series premiered on Hulu in February 2022, Tommy Lee praised it: "Let everyone know, we were the first. Before the Kardashians, before everyone. Let them know, we were the first to break the internet." Unlike Pamela, who initially refused to speak to the press and later slammed the series as "cheap."

Interesting facts

The members of Mötley Crüe were not supportive of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee's marriage. The musicians believed their drummer had fallen under the actress's spell, which is why he left the band to pursue a solo career. According to legend, they nicknamed Anderson "Yoko from hell"—referencing Yoko Ono, John Lennon's wife from the Beatles—and hung a poster of the actress in their dressing room as a dartboard target.