Why did Bruce Lee die?: Legendary Hollywood martial artist and actor Bruce Lee passed away at the age of 32. Photo: FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images
The researchers’ findings were far from what had been rumored about his death, including rumors that he was assassinated by gangsters, poisoned by a jealous lover, and the victim of a curse. and died of heat stroke.
Legendary Hollywood martial artist and actor Bruce Lee (English name Lee Bruce) died at the age of 32, in Hong Kong on July 20, 1973. An autopsy later showed that Bruce Lee died of Brain swelling – a cause that doctors now believe is due to drinking too much water.
“We propose that the kidneys’ inability to excrete excess water caused Bruce Lee’s death,” the researchers wrote in the Journal of Clinical Nephrology. Bruce Lee’s famous quote “Water – my friend” – finally killed him”.
Why did Bruce Lee die?: Died due to brain swelling – a cause that doctors now believe was due to drinking too much water. Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
At the time, doctors believed the brain swelling was caused by painkillers, but nearly 50 years after the “Enter the Dragon” icon’s death, research shows he may have died from hyponatremia – low levels of sodium in the blood, or too much water or fluid in the body.
Scientists hypothesize that Bruce Lee had many risk factors for hyponatremia, including drinking lots of fluids, factors that can increase thirst such as marijuana use, and factors that impair thirst. Weakened kidneys’ ability to excrete water, prescription drug use, alcohol abuse… Bruce Lee also had a history of kidney injury and low levels of solutes.
Bruce Lee’s wife, Linda Lee Cadwell, once mentioned that his diet was based on carrot and apple juice.
Matthew Polly, author of the 2018 book “Bruce Lee’s Life Biography”, has repeatedly mentioned the amount of water the actor drank on the day he died and before the day he became seriously ill.
“Bruce Lee felt a little tired and thirsty, then he took a few sips and felt dizzy. Then he complained of a headache and fainted,” Polly wrote in the book.
In fact, on the day Bruce Lee died, the amount of water in his body was always noticed because it was consumed significantly higher than other active ingredients.