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more sports-related articles are on the /Sports.htm page at doc pdf URL note: because important websites are frequently "here today but gone tomorrow", the following was archived from http://www.history101.com/bruce-lee/ on November 14, 2018. This is NOT an attempt to divert readers from the aforementioned website. Indeed, the reader should only read this back-up copy if the updated original cannot be found at the original author's site.
the Legend of Bruce Lee by Leslie Gonzalez / October 5, 2018
The World mourned for the one of the greatest martial arts icons in the world. Bruce Lee was more than a symbol strength but also represented cultural pride and opened the floor for a conversation on the stereotypes about Asian-Americans in the film industry and in American society in general.
Since his death and the death of his son Brandon Lee, many fans speculate that there is something more behind the Little Dragon’s death. Some say that it was a family curse. However, a new theory has surfaced in a recently released biography that might change the way we see the Wing Chun master.
He opened the doors for Chinese Americans in television. When we think Bruce Lee, we think about his movies "Enter the Dragon" and "Fists of Fury". We envision high kicks and stylistic punches. Bruce Lee completely changed the way the American public perceived a huge population of people, their traditions, and community. He changed prejudice by turning his abilities into a pop culture sensation.
Although he was known to be a movie and martial artist icon, there’s no escaping the events that led to his death. On July 20, 1973, the “Little Dragon” met his end and was laid to rest. But can we say the same about the cause of said death? Many speculate that the reason goes beyond the physical realm.
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James Bond was going to be in “Game of Death”
It all happened during a trip to Hong Kong where Lee and his wife meet with film producer Raymond Chow to discuss "Game of Death". It was in Hong Kong that Lee met with George Lazenby (the Australian James Bond) hoping that the actor would be interested in playing a part in the film.
To further discuss any further agreements, Chow suggested for everyone to meet for dinner and discuss the matter further. Lee and Lazenby agreed, hoping to add some appeal to what would be a box office hit.
Lee, however, would not be joining them that evening. After that fateful night, it would be the last time Lee ever drew breath in this world. The reason? A family curse… Huh?
His family called him “Little Phoenix”
Since his death, there has been some buzz about the cause. He passed at the young age of 32. It wasn’t until his son Brandon Lee was killed while filming "The Crow" in 1993 that the circumstances surrounding their deaths sparked controversy. Let’s take it back to the beginning.
Lee Jun-fan (aka Bruce Lee) was born on November 27, 1940 to a disowned heiress and renowned Hong Kong opera singer.
According to South China Morning Post, although Bruce Lee was known to be called the “Little Dragon” for being born in the Year of the Dragon on the Hour of the Dragon. However, his parents referred to their son as “Little Phoenix” (a girl’s name). The reason only fuels the myth.
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They believed in the Supernatural
Though Bruce Lee is considered the first-born son in his family, South Morning China Post reported that Lee’s mother gave birth to a son before Lee was born. Unfortunately, that child did not survive to adulthood. It was believed that a soul-robbing spirit was responsible for his death.
To combat against the malign entities, she believed in changing her son’s male name to a more feminine one. By switching gendered names, it would confuse evil spirits who wished to cause the family harm. To keep malicious spirits away, the Lees were to call their son a female name until he was older. As he grew into a young adult, his name was later changed to “Little Dragon”.
He trained with a legendary Kung Fu master
Danger temporarily aside, Lee grew into a rambunctious young man who often got into fights at school. To re-direct his aggression, his father decided to enroll him into martial arts where he was taught under Yip Man, a Cantonese martial artist and a master of Wing Chun (a Kung Fu style that specializes with close-range combat).
As a young adult, Bruce Lee was an attentive student who thoroughly enjoyed martial arts. However, Lee saw believed there was a life more promising outside of Hong Kong and decided to make his next move overseas and try his luck in the U.S. His move would prepare him to become a legend. However, that legacy was later met with tragedy.
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He was a Cha-Cha dance master
Seeking the aid of friends and family, he settled outside of Seattle and took up work as a dance instructor. That’s right. The man could do a mean Cha-Cha. In fact, he competed in Hong Kong’s ballroom competitions and noted 108 different steps. He was an expert in the craft.
Fun fact: He incorporated the Cha-Cha into his martial arts style catering the fluidity of constant mobility and never standing still until he made his strike. Though he had an idea of what his life would be like when he emigrated to the U.S., life had a different path for him.
For a while, it seemed like life was golden despite the racial unrest that was growing in the Country. He found his rhythm and equilibrium when he realized he had an influence in teaching martial arts. He taught the Wing Chun style to his students. It was in his class that he met Linda Emery who he married in 1964.
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Unfortunately, many people didn’t approve of Lee’s teaching martial arts to American students. It was against martial arts tradition. His teachings also added to the rumor that Lee’s death was not an accident but could have been a result of outside forces that were seeking to end Lee’s life.
His first television series was “The Green Hornet”
After marrying Linda Emery, the couple had their first child, Brandon Lee in 1965 followed by their second child Shannon Lee in 1969. By then, Lee and his family moved to Los Angeles where Lee appeared on the television program "The Green Hornet".
5 His involvement in the show ushered Lee into the film industry, all while teaching martial arts to some of the most famous celebrities of his generation such as Steve McQueen (who was his neighbor while living in Los Angeles) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who was an already practiced martial artist when he had the opportunity to work with The Dragon.
Did you know Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was mentored by Bruce Lee for 4 years? At first, Abdul- Jabbar was hesitant about working with the famous Wing Chun master. But after he was referred by a martial arts magazine editor, he decided to give Bruce Lee a chance. “My first impression was this guy is really in shape,” Abdul-Jabbar said. " He knew what he was doing and was really committed to his style of martial arts.”
Working patiently with the Lakers star, Lee learned Abdul-Jabbar’s established style and made it his own. As years passed, the two became quick friends and soon the basketball superstar was going to be a movie star.
If you haven’t seen the fight scene between Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, once you’re done reading this article, you need to jump on to YouTube and look it up because it is epic. He played one of Lee’s adversaries in Lee’s final film "Game of Death". Though Lee never got to see the finished product, the film would prove iconic in its release.
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As he appears on the big screen, Lee gave a face to Asian Americans. He showed American viewers that the Asian community was more than the stereotypes that were commonplace at the time. He was proud to be Chinese American and showed his heritage proudly.
There’s new evidence surrounding his death
But let’s get serious. What really killed Bruce Lee? What was in his autopsy report?
For over 45 years, it was believed that Lee died from an allergic reaction to a painkiller that he took prior to his death on July 20, 1973. Reportedly, the pill caused inflammation in his brain (cerebral edema) and he died in his sleep.
However, a new theory from the recently released biography Bruce Lee: A Life by Mathew Polly might have insight into what really killed the martial arts legend. And it has nothing to do with the allergic reaction to a painkiller. If that were the case, then we can finally put the death of Bruce Lee to rest without the curse.
It’s unclear how and when Bruce Lee developed cerebral edema (a condition that causes swelling in the brain). But the ailment caused trouble for the Wing Chung master until his death. There was even an incident while redubbing the film "Enter the Dragon" where Lee fainted in a recording session.
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The air conditioning was broken causing him to collapse into convulsions. After that incident, Lee became very cautious of his body, taking the necessary medications needed to keep his cerebral edema at bay including aspirin.
Fast forward to China: That’s where things start to get blurry.
So, when Bruce Lee and his wife arrived in Hong Kong to discuss Lee’s upcoming film, he and his producer Raymond Chow agreed to have dinner with actor George Lazenby.
8 However, Lee never made it to dinner. That day, Lee decided to kill some time with his friend Taiwanese actress Betty Ting Pei at her apartment.
Since his arrival in Hong Kong, Lee had been complaining about a headache. It worsened while he was at Pei’s apartment. Early evening approached and feeling unwell, Lee told Pei that he was going to retire into the bedroom and take a brief rest. Wanting to help Lee with his headache, Pei offered him a painkiller called Equagesic.
Equagesic contains a tranquilizer called meprobamate. The painkiller is supposed to help with pain, tension, and anxiety. Taking the medication, he disappeared into the bedroom.
Later that evening, Chow called Pei’s apartment to check on Lee. He was supposed to attend dinner with him and Lazenby. But Lee was still asleep. They hung up.
A few hours later, Chow calls again and Pei once again said that Lee was still asleep. Worried, Pei hung up with Chow and proceeded toward the bedroom where she saw Lee laying on his back, his shoes and shirt off. When she tried to wake him, Pei began to panic.
She repeatedly called his name but he did not respond. In hysterics, she raced to her phone and called Chow at the restaurant. When he came to the phone, Pei was in tears and begged for the film producer to come quickly. He didn’t waste any time and raced to Pei’s apartment. When he arrived, he went straight to the bedroom and discovered Lee lifeless on the bed.
9 He too tried to wake him but it was no use. In Mathew Polly’s biography, he reports that Chow checked over Lee’s body but realized it was too late. Bruce Lee was dead. However, Polly claims there was more to the story than originally told.
Polly writes that after discovering Lee, Chow realized the seriousness of the situation. In his biography, he writes that Pei was Lee’s mistress (though Linda Lee contents this). Chow realized that if the press caught wind of Lee in the bed of another woman besides his wife, it would cause a great scandal. Especially just before the release of his new film "Game of Death".
Chow had to think fast. He decided to call Pei’s personal physician but didn’t convey who it was the doctor would be treating. It was crucial to keep Lee’s death quiet until a doctor examined him. However, despite the doctor’s best efforts, it was no use. (And yes, that is Steve McQueen holding Lee’s coffin).
Chow called an ambulance to retrieve Lee’s body. But instead of taking him to the nearest hospital only three minutes away, he decided that the best route would to take him to Queen Elizabeth Hospital (25 minutes away, the farthest). The reasoning was to escape any kind of scandal. There, Bruce Lee was officially declared deceased.
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When conducting the autopsy, his medical reports conveyed that his brain had swelled by 13%. For a while, doctors could not find out the reason as to what caused his brain to swell. Once more experts were involved, they concluded a reasonable cause of death -- an allergic reaction.
The coroners concluded that it was a death caused by misadventure. Meaning a death that was attributed to an accident occurring after taking a voluntary risk. Lee voluntarily took the painkiller but did not expect death.
However, for years, something didn’t sit well with Lee’s passing. Pei reports that this was not the first time Lee had taken an Equagesic. He had taken them before. So why hadn’t his brain swelled dangerously before?
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Also note that if the cause of death was due to an allergic reaction, sources believe that Lee wouldn’t just be affected by cerebral edema alone but would show rashes in his mouth, throat, and other symptoms. The official ruling was questioned.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee
There was no visible external injury. However, according to autopsy reports, Lee's brain had swollen considerably from 1,400 to 1,575 grams (a 13% increase). The autopsy found Equagesic in his system. On October 15, 2005, Chow stated in an interview that Lee died from an allergic reaction to the tranquilizer meprobamate, the main ingredient in Equagesic which Chow described as an ingredient commonly used in painkillers. When the doctors announced Lee's death, it was officially ruled a "death by misadventure".
Lee's wife Linda returned to her hometown of Seattle and had Lee's body buried in Lot 276 of Lake View Cemetery in Seattle. Pallbearers at Lee's funeral on July 25, 1973 included Taky Kimura, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Chuck Norris, George Lazenby, Dan Inosanto, Peter Chin, and Lee's brother Robert. Around the time of Lee's death, numerous rumors appeared in the media. Lee's iconic status and untimely death fed many wild rumors and theories. These included murder involving the Triads and a supposed curse on him and his family.
Donald Teare, a forensic scientist recommended by Scotland Yard,who had overseen over 1,000 autopsies, was assigned to the Lee case. His conclusion was "death by misadventure" caused by an acute cerebral edema due to a reaction to compounds present in the combination medication Equagesic. Although there was initial speculation that cannabis found in Lee's stomach may have contributed to his death, Teare refuted this stating that it would "be both 'irresponsible and irrational' to say that cannabis might have triggered either the events of Bruce's collapse on May 10 or his death on July 20". Dr. R. R. Lycette, the clinical pathologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, reported at the coroner hearing that the death could not have been caused by cannabis.
At the 1975 San Diego Comic-Con convention, Lee's friend Chuck Norris attributed his death to a reaction to the combination of the muscle-relaxant medication he had been taking since 1968 for a ruptured disc in his back and an "antibiotic" he was given for his headache on the night of his death. In a 2017 episode of the Reelz TV series "Autopsy: The Last Hours of...", forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Hunter theorized that Lee died of adrenal crisis brought on by the overuse of cortisone which Lee had been taking since injuring his back in a 1970 weightlifting mishap. Dr. Hunter believes that Lee's exceptionally strong "drive and ambition" played a fundamental role in the martial artist's ultimate demise.
In a 2018 biography, author Matthew Polly consulted with medical experts and theorized that Lee died from cerebral edema caused by over-exertion and heat stroke. The latter was not considered at the time because it was then a poorly-understood condition. Furthermore, Lee had had his underarm sweat glands removed in late 1972 in the apparent belief that underarm sweat was unphotogenic on film. Polly further theorized that this caused Lee's body to overheat while practicing in hot temperatures on May 10 and July 20, 1973 resulting in heat stroke that in turn exacerbated the cerebral edema that led to his death.
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For over 45 years, it was believed that it was an allergic reaction that triggered his cerebral edema. However, a new theory surfaced and the idea may just contain plausibility.
Months before his death, Lee had his sweat glands removed under his arms because he believed sweaty armpits were unattractive on the screen.
This caused his body to drastically change by changing how his body regulated temperature and heat. That day when Bruce Lee first convulsed while remaking "Enter the Dragon", Lee was enclosed in a small room with no A/C and little air. It was the beginning of summer and temperatures would have been high. No one would have guessed that the answer would be obvious.
Lee’s symptoms were similar (if not exact) to a victim of heat stroke. Athletes are most prone to it in the summertime. All the symptoms were present: seizures and cerebral edema. In fact, one in every three high school and college football players who has, die of heat stroke. And once an individual suffers heat stroke, they are more likely to have another.
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Though doctors were on the scene his first episode in the nick of time, they didn’t know what had caused what they thought was a random turn of events. And if the reason was indeed heat stroke, then the doctors failed to mention one crucial detail.
According to History.com, the recovery period after a heatstroke is essential and the patient should take it easy. Victims could experience multi-organ dysfunction during the immediately preceding days and weeks after a heat stroke which increases the risk of long-term disability. And death. So how does this connect to Lee’s death in Hong Kong?
14 Well if you think about it, Bruce Lee died on July 20, 1973. July is smack dab in the middle of summer. When you put a recovering heat stroke victim in the middle of a very hot and humid Hong Kong summer, it can be a recipe for disaster.
According to weather reports at the Hong Kong Observatory, July 1973 was the hottest month that year. Not only was it hot but Hong Kong is also a city in a tropical climate making it humid and feel much hotter than the actual temperature. So imagine a heat stroke victim working in a humid environment with his sweat glands removed.
Was Bruce Lee in especially high-risk danger of having another episode? It’s not impossible. However for the longest time, conspiracies have surfaced over Lee’s death. And not just the family curse or a stolen token from his home. Some truly believed it was murder.
After Lee’s death, it was soon found out that he was in actress Betty Ting Pei’s apartment at the time of his death. Many point the finger at her claiming that she was an assassin or had poisoned Lee in his sleep. The blame was so aggressive that a month after Bruce Lee’s death, multiple bomb threats peppered the city.
Brown paper packages were discovered in heavily public areas with messages written in Chinese. “Betty Ting knows the cause of Bruce Lee’s death.” Luckily, none of the bombs were legitimate and all turned out to be trash inside each parcel. However, the threat was real and it forever altered the lives of Raymond Chow and Betty Ting Pei.
15 In China, cremation is the standard practice after the death of a loved one because burials are fairly expensive. Lee’s wife Linda decided to take Lee’s body home to Seattle and have his body buried there. However, the plane was not pressurized and the glass inside Lee’s coffin trapped the humidity from China inside creating moisture. That dampened the coffin lining and Lee’s suit.
Linda switched Lee’s coffin. But the fans soon found out and made accusations on switching Lee’s body.
Lee’s death was difficult to process for fans and some even believe he’s still alive. However, that is only one fan-crazed speculation. Others believe that his family curse was the real reason for his demise.
“Very superstitious” doesn’t even cover it
Yes, apparently many fans believed that despite what medical ailments Lee had before his death, his death was the work of the supernatural. Specifically a family curse.
But don’t believe in the superstition just yet. There is a varied list as to where the curse originated and why it was responsible for the death of the Jeet Kune Do founder.
One rumor was that bad Feng Shui that caused his demise. Yes, the same Feng Shui used to arrange your sofa and houseplants. Apparently, his house on 41 Cumberland Road had some serious bad Feng Shui issues after his bagua mirror was removed causing calamity to strike on Lee.
The curse revived after his son died
Another rumor relates to Lee’s father. It’s speculated that Lee’s father was buried in a Catholic cemetery next to a child’s grave (a little boy’s grave). It is supposedly bad luck to be buried beside a child that had died so young, especially if it’s a male child. According to superstition, that could mean disaster for the following descendants.
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And after the death of Lee’s son Brandon Lee in 1993, many more began to believe in the curse. It’s not just the fans who believe in the curse but even one of Lee’s family members. His brother Robert Lee thinks the curse is very real.
Bruce Lee buried next to his son Brandon at Lake View Cemetery in Seattle
After their father’s death, Lee’s children had to grow up without their father. Though their father was no longer in their lives, that didn’t mean they didn’t continue his legacy. Both children grew up learning martial arts an made appearances on television. However, that wouldn’t last long.
In 1993, tragedy struck when Brandon Lee was killed while filming his only feature film "The Crow". A gun prop filled with blanks had been replaced with a real bullet. He was shot in the stomach. After 13 hours, the 28-year-old passed away. It wasn’t until Brandon Lee’s death that the rumors of their family curse began to resurface.
17 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Lee
On March 31, 1993, Lee was filming a scene in "The Crow "where his character is shot and killed by thugs. In the scene, Lee's character walks into his apartment and discovers his fiancée being beaten and raped by thugs. Actor Michael Massee's character fires a .44 Magnum revolver at Lee as he walks into the room.
A previous scene using the same gun had called for inert dummy cartridges fitted with bullets (but no powder or primer) to be loaded in the revolver for a close-up scene. For film scenes that utilize a revolver (where the bullets are visible from the front) and do not require the gun to actually be fired, dummy cartridges provide the realistic appearance of actual rounds.
Instead of purchasing commercial dummy cartridges, the film's prop crew created their own by pulling the bullets from live rounds, dumping the powder charge then reinserting the bullets. However, they unknowingly or unintentionally left the live primer in place at the rear of the cartridge.
At some point during filming, the revolver was apparently discharged with one of these improperly-deactivated cartridges in the chamber setting off the primer with enough force to drive the bullet partway into the barrel where it became stuck (a condition known as a squib load). The prop crew either failed to notice this or failed to recognize the significance of this issue.
In the fatal scene which called for the revolver to be fired at Lee from a distance of 12– 15 feet, the dummy cartridges were exchanged with blank rounds which feature a live powder charge and primer (but no bullet), thus allowing the gun to be fired without the risk of an actual projectile.
But since the bullet from the dummy round was already trapped in the barrel, this caused the .44 Magnum bullet to be fired out of the barrel with virtually the same force as if the gun had been loaded with a live round. It struck Lee in the abdomen mortally wounding him.
He was rushed to the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina where he underwent 6 hours of surgery. Attempts to save him were unsuccessful and Lee was pronounced dead on March 31, 1993 at 1:03 p.m. EST. He was 28 years old. The shooting was ruled an accident.
The incomplete scenes which were to form the beginning of the film had to be rewritten. The scenes were completed using computer graphics and manipulating scenes already filmed of Lee.
Lee's body was flown to Jacksonville, North Carolina where an autopsy was performed. He was then flown to Seattle, Washington where he was buried next to his father at the Lake View Cemetery in a plot that Linda Lee Cadwell had originally reserved for herself.
A private funeral took place in Seattle on April 3, 1993. Only close family and friends were permitted to attend including Lee's immediate family as well as fiancée Eliza Hutton's parents and younger sister who flew in from Missouri. 18
The following day, 250 of Lee's family, friends, and business associates attended a memorial service in Los Angeles held at the house of actress Polly Bergen.
The gravestone (designed by North Snohomish County sculptor Kirk McLean) is a tribute to Lee and Hutton. Its 2 twisting rectangles of charcoal granite join at the bottom and pull apart at the top. "It represents Eliza and Brandon, the two of them, and how the tragedy of his death separated their mortal life together", said his mother Linda Lee Cadwell who described her son, like his father before him, as a poetic romantic person.
After Brandon’s death, many started to believe that something supernatural and sinister was at work in the background against the Lee family and their descendants. Even one of Lee’s surviving family members began to give the curse some more serious consideration.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Bruce Lee’s brother Robert Lee steps forward and claims that his family was trapped under a “dark cloud.” In the interview after Brandon Lee’s death, Robert claims that he was never the type of person who lent credence to superstition. But after his nephew’s death, he can’t help but wonder if it was something supernatural.
The conspiracies were turning into something else
When learning his brother was buried next to a young boy’s grave, he believed that it could cause death and divorce in the surviving family members. So far, he counts his brother and nephew’s passing as a sign along with his own divorce and the divorce of his surviving brother Peter.
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Bruce Lee as a baby with his parents If you want to dig deeper into the conspiracy, Brandon Lee was Linda Lee’s age (28) when Bruce died that day in 1973. And like his father, he died while in the process of finishing a film (one that would go one to become a cult classic). The parallels are there.
His legacy will live on
After 45 years, his death remains under scrutiny. And while there is substantial evidence about how he truly met his end, it’s better to think that something metaphysical struck down a man who seemed immortal as opposed to the conclusion drawn in the official report. Regardless of the circumstances around his death, at the end of the day, Bruce Lee died a legend.
Bruce Lee with his son Brandon
20 His accomplishments and legacy continue to reach millions as his love for martial arts are encompassed in his movies while breaking the social boundaries that open a conversation about race and cultural identity. He redefined the perception of Asian-Americans and started a movie genre that remains popular to this day.
Rest easy, Bruce Lee.
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