Fifty-two years have passed since the death of the legendary martial arts superstar Bruce Lee, who tragically passed away at the young age of 33. On July 23, the Hong Kong TVB program “The Truth Seeker• Emotion• Search” aired its third episode, continuing to delve into the mystery surrounding the death of the “one-generation legend” Bruce Lee. In the program, Hong Kong medical experts analyzed the evidence from that time, laboratory reports, and combined with modern medical knowledge, they revealed that the likelihood of Bruce Lee’s sudden death was due to epilepsy.
Bruce Lee passed away suddenly on July 20, 1973, causing a sensation in Hong Kong and internationally. The verdict at the time from the coroner’s office was death by misadventure, suspecting brain swelling due to drug sensitivity.
However, on July 23, Hong Kong’s first drug sensitivity doctor, Li Xi, stated on TVB’s program “The Truth Seeker• Emotion• Search” that based on Bruce Lee’s autopsy report and medical records, if it was drug sensitivity, symptoms would have appeared quickly and it would not have been so immediately fatal. He should have had the chance to seek help or inform someone that he was unwell.
Li Xi mentioned that Bruce Lee did not have a history of allergic reactions to similar drugs previously, although there was a possibility of drug sensitivity with the headache medicine he took, the chance of it being fatal on the first occasion was extremely low. Furthermore, according to the autopsy report, if he had indeed died due to drug sensitivity, there would have been a high chance of narrowed airways, but the report showed that his airway was completely normal.
Therefore, Li Xi assessed based on clinical findings, medical history, and descriptions from other individuals that Bruce Lee did not seem to have died from acute drug sensitivity. Instead, he believed that Bruce Lee might have had a rare brain swelling condition, which did not align with drug sensitivity.
Veteran forensic pathologist Pan Weiming also expressed a similar view in the program. Two months before Bruce Lee’s passing, he was rushed to the hospital due to fever and vomiting and was resuscitated after collapsing. Based on the attending physician’s testimonial from that time, Bruce Lee had arrived at the hospital with a high fever, no breathing, and took two and a half hours to be revived. After regaining consciousness, he spoke as if he had suffered a stroke, and tests revealed brain swelling.
The program also mentioned that in May 1973, Sino-Filipino film producer Raymond Chow sent Bruce Lee to the hospital for treatment. However, after Bruce Lee’s death in July, when the emergency physician inquired about relevant medical records from Raymond Chow, he concealed this medical history.
Pan Weiming pointed out that combining the medical records could lead to the conclusion that the only explanation for Bruce Lee’s two incidents would be epilepsy. If it was indeed primary epilepsy, it could have led to sudden death. Such situations often occur during sleep, which could explain why no one noticed his condition deteriorating.
However, Pan Weiming also mentioned that according to the data, Bruce Lee had taken anticonvulsant medication prescribed by an American doctor before his death, but it is unknown whether he adhered to the medication schedule, hence the true cause of death remains uncertain.
Pan Weiming recalled that before being rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, Raymond Chow had informed the paramedics that Bruce Lee had suffered from epilepsy and seemed to have had a seizure. Despite these aspects, back then, everyone had pointed towards Bruce Lee’s death being a result of drug sensitivity.
The program quoted an anonymous medical professional saying that the reluctance to discuss Bruce Lee’s epilepsy might have been due to the less developed medical expertise in the 1970s or an attempt to protect Bruce Lee’s hero image and avoid associating him with epilepsy.
In fact, Bruce Lee was taken from Taiwanese star Tina’s home to the hospital. Tina had faced a lot of criticism, with many adverse rumors circulating about her, and she was considered the “closest to the truth.”
After years of silence, Tina accepted an interview with “The Truth Seeker• Emotion• Search.”
Tina recalled that on that day at 5 p.m., Bruce Lee and Raymond Chow had come to her house to discuss the script. At 7 p.m., Bruce Lee complained of a headache and took the aspirin she provided, then retired to his room to rest. Raymond Chow left at 8 p.m. At 8:30 p.m. to 8:40 p.m., Tina called Raymond Chow twice, mentioning that Bruce Lee was still asleep. At 9:30 p.m., Raymond Chow called Tina, learning that Bruce Lee hadn’t woken up. Raymond Chow rushed to Tina’s house. At 9:45 p.m., Raymond Chow couldn’t awaken Bruce Lee and couldn’t reach Bruce Lee’s personal doctor. At 10 p.m., Tina called the doctor Zhu Bohuai to come over. Upon Zhu Bohuai’s arrival, he found Bruce Lee unconscious and immediately took him to the public Elizabeth Hospital.
Regarding Bruce Lee’s sudden death, Tina ultimately concluded in the program, “This is not your will, not his will, but heaven’s will!”