Tommy Lee Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What is Tommy Lee’s Net Worth?

With a net worth of $70 million, Tommy Lee is an American drummer and musician, best recognized for being a founding member and the drummer of Mötley Crüe. He has released 20 albums, which include studio, compilation, and live recordings, with six of those achieving platinum status. In addition to his band efforts, he has pursued a successful solo career and founded the rap-metal band, Methods of Mayhem.

In the 1990s, Tommy gained notoriety worldwide due to his well-publicized relationship with actress Pamela Anderson. A private video made by the couple during their honeymoon in Mexico turned into a worldwide sensation, becoming the subject of numerous news articles, lawsuits, and even a Hulu original series released in 2022.

Early Life

Born Thomas Lee Bass in Athens, Greece, on October 3, 1962, Tommy Lee is the son of a U.S. Army sergeant, and his mother was Miss Greece in 1960. He has a younger sister named Athena. His family relocated to California when he was about a year old. At the age of four, he received his first set of drumsticks. It was during his teenage years that he acquired his first complete drum kit after discovering heavy metal and hard rock through bands like Kiss, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple. Before dropping out of high school in his senior year to pursue a career in a rock band, Lee played as a drummer in his high school marching band. He initially formed a band named Studio 19 that performed on the Sunset Strip in the early 80s, where he met future Mötley Crüe bandmate Nikki Sixx. During this time, other up-and-coming bands such as Van Halen and Quiet Riot were also active on the Sunset Strip.

Mötley Crüe

Upon meeting Nikki Sixx, who was searching for a drummer for a highly theatrical heavy metal band, Tommy Lee caught Sixx’s attention during a performance with Studio 19. Soon after, Sixx persuaded Lee to leave Studio 19, marking the beginnings of what would become Mötley Crüe. Following this, guitarist Mick Mars joined the band, and Lee suggested his high school acquaintance, Vince Neil, as the lead singer to complete the lineup. Mötley Crüe’s debut album, Too Fast For Love, was released in 1981 through the band’s independent label. Shortly thereafter, Elektra Records signed the band and re-released the album in 1982. Throughout the next ten years, Mötley Crüe produced several successful albums, including Shout at the Devil (1983), Theatre of Pain (1985), Girls, Girls, Girls (1987), and Dr. Feelgood (1989).

Tommy Lee became known for integrating various special effects and stunts into his drum solos, such as having his drum kit suspended above the audience during performances. Mötley Crüe and Lee gained a reputation for their wild partying, both on and offstage, along with their heavy drug and alcohol consumption, as depicted in the 2019 Netflix movie titled “The Dirt.”

Other Projects

In 1999, Lee established a rap-metal band known as Methods of Mayhem. That year marked the release of their debut album, Methods of Mayhem, followed by a tour to promote the album. Lee launched his first solo album, Never a Dull Moment, in 2002, with his solo band joining the lineup at the heavy metal festival Ozzfest that same year.

In 2004, the original members of Mötley Crüe reunited to release a double-CD anthology titled Red, White, & Crüe. Anticipated by fans, this quadruple platinum release led to a massive tour, the Red, White & Crüe Tour 2005: Better Live Than Dead, which marked the band’s first tour in six years and included 81 performances.

In 2005, he starred inhad been purchased by Tommy Lee for $837,886 on February 14, 1995. This residence would soon become the place he shared with Pamela Anderson, as they wed shortly after acquiring a beachside home in Mexico. Following their return from Mexico, the couple moved into their Malibu home and embarked on an extensive renovation. They kept a large safe in the garage, which housed the white bikini that Pamela wore during their wedding, a collection of firearms, various pieces of jewelry, and their notorious home video sex tape.

In October 1995, an aggrieved electrician named Rand Gauthier devised a sophisticated plan to steal the safe from the garage as retaliation for an alleged $20-30,000 bill that Tommy refused to settle. It was Rand who subsequently leaked the contents of the home to the public.

This Malibu residence was featured in a well-known episode of “MTV Cribs,” which aired in 2000. Tommy sold the property in 2005 for $2.5 million. Here’s a glimpse of the home during a subsequent sale:

Unfortunately, the Malibu mansion…was reduced to ashes due to a fire that occurred in November 2019. After the incident, Tommy visited the site and shared numerous images and a video on Instagram:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by T🥁ɱɱ¥ ᒪEE (@tommylee)

In 2007, a purchase of $5.85 million was made by Tommy for a residence in Calabasas, California.

In May 2018, Tommy Lee put up his Calabasas, California property for sale at $4.65 million. Spanning 10,000 square feet, the residence features six bedrooms and eight bathrooms, accompanied by an atrium with indoor waterfalls and a retractable glass ceiling. Additionally, the estate includes a koi pond, a stone saltwater spa, and a saltwater pool shaped like a piano. A full gym, a home theater, and a wine room are also part of the home, along with a second…

The outdoor area designed for entertaining features a kitchen, barbecue, fireplaces, and torch lighting. Lee transformed the garage, originally intended for 13 cars, into a recording studio. Back in 2016, he had placed the home on the market for $6 million.

In May 2023, Tommy eventually incurred a significant loss on this residence, accepting an offer of $3.65 million.

Check out this video tour of Tommy Lee’s previous home in Calabasas: