If you have listened to the '80s hit heavy metal band Motley Crue, you must be familiar with the band’s long-term drummer Tommy Lee.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

In case you don’t, the 60-year-old Too fast For Love drummer was born Thomas Lee Bass on 3 October in Athens, Greece to parents who supported his early passion for drumming he developed as a preschooler. 

When Tommy was four, his parents bought him his first guitar. And later as a teenager, he was enrolled in regular drum lessons by his parents. They also bought him an authentic drum kit from his parents 

During that time, he used his dad's garage as his rehearsal studio. At the time, his former military dad was working as a shop superintendent whereas his mother was working part-time as a house helper. 

She was embarrassed by the fact that she had to clean up other people's houses and chores despite being a wife of a military man.  

Still, the parents' love nurtured a sound culture in the family that made young Tommy hopeful despite their living humbly. 

Interesting Read: Details on the Tommy Lee Heather Locklear Wedding from 1986

In his book, Tommyland,' he shared about his parent's love, "I'd watch my dad pinch my mom's (expletive) and blow her kisses from across the room or get up suddenly just to go over [to her]."

He also revealed that his parents accepted his wish of getting his first tattoo at the age of 17 despite them being unsure of their son's career ambition to be a famed rock and roller. 

Tommy stated that his parents were initially saddened when he decided to drop out f high school and pursue music full-time in Los Angeles.

Speaking of his parents, his father, David Lee Thomas Bass, was an American U.S. Army sergeant, and his mother, Vassiliki “Voula” Papadimitriou, was a Miss Greece contestant for the 1957 Miss Greece beauty contest.

They first met in Greece and later started dating despite not knowing each other languages. Papadimitriou didn't speak English but they bonded by drawing pictures and translating words with a dictionary.

Read the full article to know about Tommy Lee's parents' unmatched love till their death and their unconditional support in his early life.

Tommy Lee’s Parents have Already Passed Away

Lee lost his beloved mother, Voula, back in March 2012.

According to Loudwire, the details of how and when his mother died were not made public, but the drummer informed his fans of his loss via a series of tweets from his personal Twitter account.

“One of the loves of my life has gone. My Dear Mother has passed,” he wrote in one of his tweets on March 9.

The incident was even more sorrowful to him since the death of his mother meant he had lost both of his parents. Adding to that, his father reportedly passed away in 2001. He had become disabled and was in his mother's full care on a daily basis. 

According to Tommy, he had only occasionally seen his parents after he left home to pursue music at age 17. But he spent time with his father David in his final days.

During that period, his father David told him that he didn't fear death. His father said, "I've got amazing kids. I've had an amazing life. I'm ready. I love your mother, and I loved my life."

He confirmed the information in 2010 while replying to a fan, who wrote,

Finished @MrTommyLand's book Tommyland...i cried on pages 176-177 when he spoke about his dad.  Tommy poured his heart out in this book.

Lee has posted pictures of his father on his social media and dedicated posts to his late father with his followers.

Doing that, in his May 2014 Instagram post, he revealed his father had fought in World War 2 and the Korean War.

“Happy Father’s Day in heaven Dad! Life is strange with you gone...damn I miss you,” he wrote in his June 2016 post, expressing that he missed his father.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Besides his parents, Lee has a younger sister, Athena, in his family. His sister is, interestingly, a drummer, too.

Tommy Lee Is Proud of His Greek Heritage

After being born in Greece, Lee and his family moved to West Covina, California. He was a one-year-old toddler at the time.

However, Lee has never forgotten his Greek heritage and his parents' support. He often talks about how proud he is of his roots.

For instance, in 2012, he took to his Facebook page to release a statement full of Greek Pride. And it was apparent that his statement was not written by PR professionals.

The first three verses of his statement read:

BECAUSE WE ARE A SMALL, POOR COUNTRY FULL OF PEOPLE WITH BIG HEARTS...BECAUSE WE NEVER VISIT ANYONE EMPTY-HANDED...BECAUSE THERE IS NO WAY TO TELL FOREIGNERS THE WORD 'KAPSOURA' TO PROPERLY (BURNING DESIRE FOR SOMEONE).

“BECAUSE 40% OF THE OXFORD DICTIONARY CONSISTS OF GREEK WORDS...BECAUSE WE KNOW WHAT ‘KEFI’ (JOY IN THE FUN?) MEANS AND HOW TO LIVE IT...PROUD GREEK SOUL!” he wrote at the end.

The following year, Lee even flew to his native land and shared plenty of Hellenic culture with his fans and followers on his social media accounts.