Died On This Date (June 5, 2002) Dee Dee Ramone / The Ramones
themusicsover Dee Dee Ramone (Born Douglas Colvin)
September 18, 1951 – June 5, 2002
Born Douglas Colvin, Dee Dee Ramone will always be remembered for his “1-2-3-4” count-ins on so many great songs by the Ramones, the punk rock band he co-founded along with Joey Ramone (Jeffrey Hyman) and Johnny Ramone (John Cummings). What most people don’t realize was that Dee Dee main songwriter, writing such punk classics as “Rockaway Beach,” “53rd and 3rd” and “I Wanna Be Sedated.” He played bass in the band until 1989 when he decided to launch an ill-fated rap career as Dee Dee King. Although they parted ways, Dee Dee continued to write songs for the group disbanded in 1996. 1991 found Dee Dee briefly playing guitar for shock-punk artist, G.G. Allin. Dispite a longtime struggle with drugs and alcohol, Dee Dee continued to stay musically productive up until his untimely death at the age of 50. On June 5, 2002, Dee Dee’s lifeless body was discovered by his wife in his Hollywood apartment. His death was officially attributed to a heroin overdose.
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