'Kung Fu' Star Carradine Found Dead

[Steve]

David Carradine, the actor who starred in the classic television series "Kung Fu," has been found dead in Bangkok, according to published reports.
There are conflicting reports on how Carradine died.
His agent, who confirmed the death with WABC-TV in New York, said that he believed Carradine, 73, died of natural causes.
But according to a report by the news Web site, The Nation, Thai police said that the actor apparently hung himself.
Carradine also starred in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" movies as the title character.
David Carradine was a member of an acting dynasty that included father John Carradine and brothers Keith Carradine and Robert Carradine.

[doc]

Ran into a nasty kinky katoey who couldn't untie knots fast enough?

[Maestro]

lol, i just read the article on yahoo, he was found naked in a closet apparently hung himself.

but, what is a kinky katoey lolo.

[Josh x]

When I saw this thread I became very upset, though I have no relationship with Carradine other than watching his movies and of course Kung Fu, I still felt sad that someone who so embodied a philosophy such as he did in Kung Fu could end their life. Obviously another example of the distinct contrast between fiction and reality. I believe it is a loss for kung fu (despite his quite unimpressive martial ability), that show influenced and inspired many people and generated some great pop culture references. I myself made the choice between gong fu and karate after watching Kill Bill when I decided it was time to study a martial art.

It may be too early to make any jokes, but ironically Uma didn't kill bill, he five-point-palm-exploding-heart-technique'd himself. Master Kan will be mortified, I'll send some flowers on your behalf Doc; I'm sure the Shaolin Temple will be in mourning for weeks to come.

[doc]

The guy was addicted to heroin when he was filming that ridiculous TV show. And as he had no martial arts skills, they had to rehearse him for each scene.

Let that be a lesson.

[RJW]

I met David Carradine once (I say “met” loosely, I was in the vicinity) he was at a book store for signing of his book Spirit of Shaolin in Toronto when he was doing Kung Fu The Legend Continues. The staff were all making fun of him, fans lined up for an hour until her arrived. One woman was obviously a big fan had painted a picture of him as a Shaolin monk. Carradine said, “It has the essence of me, but it’s not me,” then put it aside. It was so obvious is his attitude that he was going to chuck the painting, but he could have been a little kinder to this lady. My friend’s wife spent her lunch hour in line an hour to get his autograph for her husband (who she thought was a fan because he’d watched Kung fu 20 years before as a kid); she was Chinese & Carradine tried to pick her up, very, very sloooooowly. A few weeks later he was on the news being charged by police for breaking the window on a door at the Skydome at a Roling Stones concert, because he was “trying to get away from his fans” – the police report said he was drunk. Later I met a couple of local martial artists who had worked with Carradine on Kung Fu The Legend Continues. One guy said, “David is a neat guy, but… We’d break for lunch and while the rest of us were eating David would have a large water glass of whisky. When it was time to go back he’d order another round and say, ‘Don’t worry, they can’t do anything until I get there.’”
It is sad that he went this way, and there are things I respect about him, but it really wouldn’t surprise me if drink/drugs/hookers were part of his death(suicide).
R.I.P. David

[doc]

Just solely for your educational and entertainment purposes:

In autoeroticism (ie, where you get erotic with yourself, to put it loosely), there are techniques involved whereby one creates a situation that causes slight and temporary cerebral hypoxia. It is thought, and I don't know this personally for a fact, that strangling yourself during the pre orgasm period, and becoming relatively hypoxic for the orgasm, ncreases the intensity of the orgasm. It was commonly practiced by the gays in the large cities, back in the seventies and eighties, and probably is still practiced to some degree today. Heterosexuals also do this when they "strangle" their partners during sex.

The problem is, these activities can go horribly wrong... Getting a knot too tight, not being able to loosen something, or, losing conciousness from hypoxia before extricating oneself from the neck constricting apparatus, usually ends up with death.

So, two things.

I'm not saying he died from this. (but my sarcasm above, well, you'll figure it out)
Don't think about trying it.

Let that be another lesson. Boy, I's in a teachin mood tonight!

[zachsan]

Death by autoerotic asphyxiation was honestly the first thing I thought of when I read he was found hung in some state of undress. The lead singer from crappy Australian band INXS died the same way.

[doc]

A fitting end to a Shaolin icon.

The parallels amaze me.

[skittalion]

What's important about David Carradine's death is to note that while he represented an ideal he was not in fact that ideal. He was just a man.

He didn't even write the show "Kung Fu", which I heard got it's origin from Bruce Lee (who was supposed to play the lead), a writer did. He was just an actor, portraying a character in the role he was assigned.

The writer may have gotten the truth about Kung Fu and Shaolin wrong, but he still inspired a nation.

If it weren't for "Kung Fu" many of you might not be involved in martial arts at all.

What I think is a shame about the whole situation is the obvious disparity between man and character. I believe that David Carradine really believed in Shaolin and Kung Fu, but didn't know how to achieve it in real life.

I believe that the purpose of teaching Shaolin Kung Fu is to aid people at becoming successful in life. I think monks exist primarily to help people become more successful in life and in doing so help themselves.
David Carradine was never very successful in life. It's definitely ironic, but it's also a shame.

I would have liked to have met him and I was saddened when he died. I'd always hoped he would find what he was looking for.

I know a lot of people are angry David Carradine and blame him for not actually being an awesome character like Kane, but that is false blame. I am instead grateful that he played the role at all; that the role existed at all.

[doc]

If it weren't for "Kung Fu" many of you might not be involved in martial arts at all.

I never watched it.

But I understand your point. Well said.

[onesp1ng]

i never watched it myself. but you may be right...

[mbokohutu]

I never watched it.

But I understand your point. Well said.

Jesus ****ing Christ.

You run a Shaolin website and you never watched Kung Fu?

And you talk shit about Carradine being on Heroin?

Why the hell are you involved with Shaolin anyways? You never watched kung Fu, you shit on the guy who made martial arts famous in the USA, you have no martial arts knowledge, and when someone like me offers to teach you about kung fu, you can't be bothered to learn.

Why don't you do something useful? Go try out for the Biggest Loser show on TV. It is a show about fat people losing weight. You want to be well known? Do it on the fat show. Leave kung fu alone.

[master splinter]

David carradine was a good actor, but he didnt know kung fu for shit... Im sorry but its the truth. lol

He wasnt a martial artist, he was an actor.

[zachsan]

LOL... Happeh, you are ever the master of unintentional comedy. "You run a Shaolin website and you never watched Kung Fu?" The horror!! That's like being a spy who never watched Get Smart! Or a president who never even ****ing watched the West Wing!!