What did Bruce Lee’s autopsy reveal about his unexpected death?

• Bruce Lee, actor and martial arts teacher, died at the age of 32.
• There are many questions regarding his untimely death.
• What did his autopsy reveal?

Considered by critics, experts, the media and great martial artists as the most influential martial artist of all time, Bruce Lee died a few months before his 33rd birthday in highly suspicious circumstances that made his fans fear the worst.

It should be noted that, months before his death, which occurred on July 20, 1973, the philosopher and writer had also fainted several times, although he managed to recover very quickly. While filming one of his movies, Enter the Dragon, Lee began to feel unwell and while going to the bathroom, he vomited and began convulsing until he lost consciousness.

Could Bruce Lee’s death have been prevented?

If he had been treated in time it’s possible Bruce Lee’s life could have been saved, although his neurosurgeon did not have an explanation for his brain swelling. As the days went by, Lee was able to recover satisfactorily, although at first he could not utter a word. Nobody imagined what would happen weeks later.

He was examined by doctors at UCLA in California, who found that the actor, remembered for playing Kato in the television series The Green Hornet, had the health and body of an 18-year-old. No anomaly was detected at that time and they explained to him that what had happened to him is known as cerebral edema. (Filed as: Bruce Lee Autopsy)

Bruce Lee threatened a director with a knife days before his death

One detail that was not commented on at the time is that Bruce Lee had an altercation with a film director, which escalated to the point that the actor threatened him with a knife. Days later, on a television program, he spoke about the incident. This would be the last time he was seen in public.

On July 20, 1973, when he was at the apartment of his friend, Taiwanese actress Betty Ting Pei to discuss a movie script, he began to feel unwell, so she gave him a prescription pain reliever called Equagesic, which is a combination of aspirin and the tranquilizer meprobamate. He lapsed into unconsciousness and never awoke. (Filed As: Bruce Lee Autopsy)

There are several theories about Bruce Lee’s death

Film director Raymond Chow said in an interview that Bruce Lee died as a result of an allergic reaction to meprobamate, a theory supported by coroner Donald Teare. For his part, Dr. James Filkins stated that the official explanation for his cause of death is wrong, since allergic reactions to drugs usually present signs such as irregular swelling in the neck or respiratory insufficiency.

Recently, it was said that his death was due to an aneurysm that caused his headache and ultimately led to his death. Bruce Lee’s autopsy showed that his brain had become massively inflamed. There were no visible external injuries, but he did have Equagesic in his system. (Filed Under: Bruce Lee Autopsy)

A new hypothesis that would explain how Bruce Lee died

According to D.W., there is a new hypothesis that could explain what really killed actor and martial arts teacher Bruce Lee: excessive consumption of water. «We propose that the kidney’s inability to excrete excess water killed Bruce Lee,» the researchers wrote in the Clinical Kidney Journal.

The autopsy revealed that his brain had swollen to 1,575 grams. Brains are usually around 1,400 grams, so doctors pointed to cerebral edema (swelling caused by excess fluid trapped in body tissues) as the cause of death, which occurred due to an extreme reaction to Equagesic. (Filed Under: Bruce Lee Autopsy)