Asian American cultural icon Bruce Lee’s sudden death at the age of 32 shocked his followers worldwide. Years later, his son Brandon Lee faced a tragic ending of his own.
Bruce Lee, born on November 27, 1940, moved to the U.S.A. at 19 to complete his high school education. As a teen, Bruce Lee got into trouble for being involved in way too many street fights but later became a Hollywood legend, representing Asian-style martial arts on the silver screen.
Lee’s early death could not stop his influence worldwide and the celebrity‘s son Brandon Lee also chose martial arts as the career path to honor his father’s legacy.
Brandon Lee suffered tragic accident
Bruce Lee’s mysterious death on July 20, 1973, shocked everyone, as the movie star complained of a headache and took a painkiller to go to sleep. He never woke up. Neurosurgeon Dr. Peter Wu reportedly claimed cerebral edema or swelling of the brain to be the cause of his death, but theories regarding how the swelling was caused vary, with many experts claiming that it could have been a reaction to the painkiller he took.
Later, Matthew A. Polly in his biography Bruce Lee: A Life suggested that the swelling could have been a result of over-exertion and heat stroke; especially because Lee had his underarm sweat glands removed a year earlier.
Brandon Lee, who was only eight years old at the time of his father’s death, chose to pursue martial arts carrying his father’s name and legacy. Little did he know that his fate would be even more tragic. At the age of just 28, Brandon passed away from a fatal gunshot wound that was misfired from a prop gun on the film set of The Crow.
The legacy goes on
Bruce Lee is known as the first Asian-American actor to ever have a lead role in a Hollywood film, but his impact on Asian-American culture runs deeper than that. Lee’s super speedy kicks, which were sometimes too fast for the cameras to follow during filming, set a new trend and many followed in his footsteps.
In 1999, TIME named the action superstar as one of the most influential figures of the 20th century. Bruce Lee also established the martial arts discipline of Jeet Kune Do, which is featured in the UFC.
Along with his influence on the public, his daughter Shannon, who is the president of the Bruce Lee Foundation, shared his positive influence on their family, noting, “When he focused his attention on you, it was like having the sun shine on you. That feeling has stayed with me my whole life.”
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