Dee Dee Ramone

Dee Dee Ramone, born Douglas Colvin (September 18, 1952 - June 5, 2002) was a founding member of The Ramones, a heavily influential punk band in which he wrote or co-wrote most of their songs, including "53rd & 3rd", &

Dee Dee Ramone, born Douglas Colvin (September 18, 1952 - June 5, 2002) was a founding member of The Ramones, a heavily influential punk band in which he wrote or co-wrote most of their songs, including "53rd & 3rd", "Commando", and "Poison Heart". Dee Dee struggled with drugs for much of his life, especially heroin, beginning his drug use as a teenager, and continuing to use for the majority of his adult life. He was the bassist for the group until 1989, when he left to pursue a career in rap under the name Dee Dee King. He continued to write songs for the Ramones until 1996, when the band retired.

Colvin was born in Virginia and raised in Berlin, Germany, the son of an American soldier stationed there and a German woman. His parents separated shortly after his birth, and he lived in Berlin until age 16, when he and his mother moved to the Forest Hills section of New York City's borough of Queens. There he met Johnny Ramone (John Cummings) and Tommy Ramone (Tommy Erdelyi) then playing in a band called The Tangerine Puppets, named after a Donovan song of that name. They quickly became friends, being outcasts in that heavily middle class neighborhood. In 1974, Johnny and Dee Dee formed the Ramones with then-drummer Jeffrey Hyman, not yet Joey Ramone, who became the singer after Dee Dee expressed disinterest in being the main singer. Tommy then became the drummer.