Dee Dee Ramone (born Douglas Glenn Colvin, Sept. 18, 1951 – June 5, 2002) was a founding member, and primary songwriter in the world famous Ramones. He was the bassist from their start in 1974 until leaving the band in 1989 to pursue a solo career and other endeavors. Dee Dee continued to write songs for the Ramones until they retired in 1996. His unique perspective and invaluable artistic contributions were a vital element to the chemistry of the Ramones. Recipient of a Grammy award for lifetime achievement, Dee Dee is the most influential punk rock bassist, and one of the most prolific punk rock songwriters of all-time. His signature “1-2-3-4” count off will forever be emulated and ingrained in pop culture and had it not been for Dee Dee, the band might not have been known as “The Ramones”. Inspired by Paul McCartney's habit of checking into hotels under the name “Paul Ramon” for anonymity, Dee Dee began using the name and later suggested the rest of the band adopt it as well. 28 years later, the Ramones were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside the Beatles themselves. Dee Dee had a thriving solo career and expressed himself artistically in many different mediums. He continued writing & recording music consistently and released a string of singles and solo albums from 1987 - 2002. A true renaissance man, his multi-faceted art included paintings and authoring several books. Dee Dee's creativity knew no boundaries and neither did his imagination.