Bruce Lee may have died from drinking too much water.
Bruce Lee may have died from drinking too much water.
Doctors are making the claim almost 50 years after the martial arts icon died aged 32 in the summer of 1973 in Hong Kong.
An autopsy from the time showed the ‘Enter the Dragon’ star had been killed by brain swelling, which medics blamed on him taking a painkiller.
Researchers have now reviewed the evidence and concluded Bruce is more likely to have died from hyponatraemia.
A team of experts wrote in the Clinical Kidney Journal: “In other words, we propose that the kidney’s inability to excrete excess water killed Bruce Lee.
“We hypothesize that Bruce Lee died from a specific form of kidney dysfunction: the inability to excrete enough water to maintain water homeostasis, which is mainly a tubular function.
“This may lead to hyponatraemia, cerebral oedema (brain swelling) and death within hours if excess water intake is not matched by water excretion in urine, which is in line with the timeline of Lee’s demise... ironically, Lee made famous the quote, ‘Be water, my friend’, but excess water appears to have ultimately killed him.”
The study claimed Bruce had multiple risk factors for hyponatraemia, including drinking high quantities of liquid and using cannabis, which increases thirst.
Hyponatremia means sodium level in blood, which people need for fluid balance, is abnormally low.
The imbalance causes cells in the body to swell, including those in the brain.
Bruce’s death has been surrounded for decades by conspiracy theories that include he may have been assassinated by Chinese gangsters, poisoned by a jealous lover or was the victim of a curse.
His wife Linda Lee, 77, revealed the kung-fu expert had a fluid-based diet of carrot and apple juice before his death.
Matthew Polly, who wrote the 2018 biography ‘Bruce Lee, A Life’ referred to Bruce’s repeated water intake on the evening of his death.
Bruce has been reported to have frequently used cannabis and in one letter described himself as “stoned as hell”.
Bruce collapsed in May 1973, with a doctor diagnosing him with cerebral oedema and the martial artist admitted that he had eaten Nepalese hash before the incident.
On the same day that Glastonbury welcomed back Margate's adopted sons, The Libertines, Margate itself put on it's very own Leisure Festival as it...
Oasis fans hoping to get tickets for the band's reunion shows are being asked a trivia question to secure access to a pre-sale ballot.
Sheffield's very own all girl group Pretty Fierce are still on a high after the recent release of their debut single - 'Ready For Me'.
Three nights before the end of his current tour Will Varley returned to his home town of Deal to delight a sold out crowd in The Astor Theatre.
With only a few days to go before Portsmouth based songstress and producer WYSE releases her new single, 'Belladonna', we caught up with her to find...
Colorado raised, Glasgow educated and Manchester based Bay Bryan is nothing if not a multi-talented, multi-faceted artist performing as both...
Former Marigolds band member Keelan Cunningham has rediscovered his love of music with his new solo project Keelan X.
Wiltshire singer-songwriter Luke De Sciscio, formally known as Folk Boy, is set to release is latest album - 'The Banquet' via AntiFragile Music on...
Comprehensively documenting Bruce Lee's life, work and philosophy, this engaging doc is packed with terrific...