How Did Dee Dee Ramone Die? Bassist's Cause of Death Resurfaces 21 Years After Passing

Dee Dee Ramone's cause of death resurfaced over two decades since his passing.

The Ramones bassist and songwriter - whose real name was Douglas Glenn Colvin - died at the age of 50 on June 5, 2002, 14 months after Joey Ramone passed away following his battle with cancer.

How Did Dee Dee Ramone Die?

Dee Dee Ramone was proclaimed dead after being found unconscious by his wife, Barbara, on a couch of their Los Angeles apartment.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office did not initially share his potential cause of death, but it immediately suspected that it was an accidental drug overdose, according to Rolling Stone.

The authorities assumed the instance as his wife found drug paraphernalia and a used syringe at the scene near his body when she returned home at 8:25 p.m.

Although paramedics responded to the apartment, they later pronounced Dee Dee Ramone dead at 8:40 p.m. that day, according to Craig Harvey, operations chief for the coroner's office.

An autopsy was conducted immediately after his death, while the toxicology results confirmed months later that he passed away from a lethal heroin overdose.

Before Dee Dee Ramone's demise, he wrote in his autobiography "Lobotomy: Surviving the Ramones" that he had been struggling with drugs and alcohol for years. The tragic event happened 11 weeks after The Ramones was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Associated Press noted.

Dee Dee Ramone's Career, Legacy

Dee Dee Ramone became a friend of Johnny Ramone (The Ramones guitarist John William Cummings) after they met at a building in New York. At that time, they worked in the mail room and construction, respectively, and used their paychecks to purchase guitars.

They started forming the band, with Dee Dee Ramone originally set as the vocalist while Jeffrey Ross Hyman - who promoted under Johnny Ramone's name - as the drummer. They officially called the group The Ramones in 1973 before their debut on March 30, 1974.

Among the hit songs the group released were "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker," "Teenage Lobotomy," "I Wanna Be Sedated," and "Beat on the Brat," to name a few.

The Ramones, however, witnessed changes in the lineup, including Dee Dee Ramone's departure in 1990 after playing on the group's 11 records. The bassist tried his luck to become a rapper under the name Dee Dee King, but his attempt was unsuccessful.