RAMONE No 2 IS FOUND DEAD; Dee Dee dies 14 months after Joey.

Byline: NATHAN YATES

PUNK legend Dee Dee Ramone has died of a suspected drugs overdose.

His wife Barbara Zantini found him on the couch after she returned home on Wednesday night.

The 50-year-old bass player's death comes just 14 months after Ramones' lead singer Joey died from cancer at age of 49.

Paramedics were called to Dee Dee's Hollywood home but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The coroner's office said: "The investigator noted drug paraphernalia, including a single syringe, and we are handling it as a possible accidental overdose."

Johnny and Tommy are the only two members of the band left.

Dee Dee helped found the Ramones in New York in 1974.

The band had more success in Britain than America and inspired groups including The Clash and Sex Pistols.

Joey once said: "The British were crazy, carrying razor blades under the tongue of their Doc Martens and headbutting you. There was one place we played that was really scary - Stoke-on-the-Trent."

The band, whose songs included Sheena is a Punk Rocker, split in 1996. Dee Dee recently made a comeback as rapper Dee Dee King. They earned a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 11 weeks ago.

nathan.yates

@mirror.co.uk

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DRUGS: Dee Dee