Bruce Lee’s death is one of Hollywood’s biggest mysteries. A recent medical study proposes a new theory on what killed this legend.
Lee became famous for his 1970s action films Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon, Enter the Dragon, and Game of Death. He died of cerebral edema on July 20, 1973. Lee was a pop cultural hero who bridged Asian and American movies, therefore his death always sparked conspiracy theories, such as those involving Triad gangs or a curse that killed his son, Brandon Lee (The Crow).
Lee’s untimely death may have been caused by hyponatraemia, according to a Clinical Kidney Journal study. According to the report, hyponatraemia occurs when the body’s sodium content is compromised due to its inability to manage water intake, causing kidney failure and cerebral edema, the official cause of death. Lee’s symptoms match those of a hyponatraemia-killed woman in the same paper.
Reading the entire publication is recommended, since the researchers conclude, “Bruce Lee died from kidney dysfunction: the inability to eliminate enough water to sustain water homeostasis […] If excess water intake is not balanced by urine water elimination, hyponatraemia, cerebral oedema, and death within hours may occur, which is Lee’s timeframe. It would coincide with a healthy, young person dying abruptly. Despite his early death at 32, Lee was a pioneer in extreme nutrition and workout techniques that persist today.
Although hyponatraemia is most often linked to excessive water drinking, this new idea suggests that Lee’s water consumption was reasonable for an athlete. Instead, multiple risk factors may have caused the illness. The report suggests that Lee’s initial cerebral edema two months before his death, marihuana use, alcohol use, a low-sodium diet, prescription medicines, and workout routine may have caused hyponatraemia.
Bruce Lee is still influential in video games, as almost every fighting game contains a Bruce Lee character. The report is inconclusive, but the doctors advise taking his careful suggestion of “be water my friend” with salt.