The death of
Brandon Lee was no accident. The young Hollywood actor was fatally shot on set
of his greatest film to come; a bullet placed in a gun instead of a dummy. If
you are a conspiracy fanatic, you may have heard the theories that his father,
Bruce Lee, was murdered by the Chinese Triads for not wanting protection or
even Chinese Martial Art followers who taught him a lesson for teaching the
ancient secret ways and techniques outside of their private culture. In one of
his films (Game of Death), he is killed because of the same incident that took
the life of his son...Coincidence, or were the unidentified men behind Bruce
Lee’s death after his son, as well?
1.
Were
the ancient Chinese martial art followers out to get him and planted the bullet
which fatally took his life?
2.
Was
their a Curse of death upon the Lee family which resulted in such an odd death?
3.
Did
the Chinese Triads kill him because he was Bruce Lee’s son?
Let’s explore these theories and see what could have really
happened! Beginning with the idea that ancient Chinese martial art followers
were out for blood:
Born to Bruce Lee,
one of the most infamous martial artist to come to the United States, and mother Linda Lee Caldwell, Brandon Lee was
brought into this Earth on Monday, February 1st, 1965, in Oakland,
California. He was a charming, handsome Chinese American actor and martial
artist. Brandon lost his father at a very young age further creating the soft
spoken man he grew to be; he was forever mourning the loss of this father.
Externally feeling
as if he had something to prove to the media in the beginning, being just
another young actor trapped in his infamous fathers shadow as the public
originally labeled him, he showed his own love and passion for the ancient
Chinese ways and became his own individual in the Hollywood industry. Acting in
roles that illustrated his own personal athletic, flair such as Showdown in
Little Tokyo and Kung Fu: The Movie, he also played untraditional
roles that made him stand out from the rest, like The Laser Mission and
the critically acclaimed The Crow. The production of The Crow
brought him to the forefront of the media's eye because he had what was called
the "X- Factor" ("Bruce Lee dies at Age 32"). Brandon
always showed immense admiration for his father his true role model, and he
explained that in an interview,
"When it comes to following in his footsteps, do I want to achieve
the same level of accomplishments that he has? Yes. But do I want to imitate
him in anyway shape or form? No, because that’s pale. Its not good"
(Brandon Lee on Bruce Lee).
Pictures and snippets of him taken by paparazzi were filled
with his half smile gleaming and his long black hair resting on his shoulders (
Attachment 1). If you were to meet him, you would fall in love instantly. He
had a welcoming presence that made him very likeable to everyone around him.
This soft spoken
man found a fiancé, Eliza Hutton, who chose to keep her precious memories of
him private by never speaking publicly of their beautiful romance. They were
just shy of a wedding when Brandon tragically passed away. But, before he met
her, he was dating now best-selling
author Shannon Bradley, and the relationship she endured with him for a year was
engulfed with affection she has never experienced since. She has written many
articles about him to let others who did not know him have insight into the
short time they shared with one another, "These are the things I remember
about the Gone Boy. Hazel eyes. Slippery black hair. Fluidity of motion.
Chipped front teeth. Velvety skin. A goofy laugh. A whip smart brain. He seemed
indestructibly alive" (Bradley-Colleary). Shannon described a night where
she was working late at her diner, and Brandon called her in tears, asking her
to come over as he was missing his father, Bruce Lee (Bradley-Colleary).Once she arrived, he was
crying, shaking whilst watching old footage of his father's funeral, describing
the immense pain he feels in his chest, and foreseeing his own death(1). He
spoke in a broken voice saying that he knew he would die soon (1). That his
time to go was so near and could sense it (1). Then, she calmly reassured him
that he was just upset, tightly cradling him throughout the night (1). To this day,
just speaking of that night makes the hairs on her neck stand up.This incident
happened only three years before the fatal "accident" that killed Lee
onset of his biggest movie to come, The Crow, exactly twenty years after
his fathers death. Internally, it was evident that the thoughts of his fathers'
death haunted him more than consoled him.
Brandon was very
ambitious and wanted to be his own household name. The passion for stardom wasn’t selfish but
just who he was. You could look at him and see that he was his fathers' son,
but also looking at him you could see the flame that burned inside of him
because he genuinely cared for what he was doing. Acting was his love. Martial
arts was his love (Brandon Lee Final Interview). He was a joy to be around, and
you would have loved to meet him. By breaking the bonds to be your own person
and not fitting into any stereotypes on what he should think or feel, he served
as a respectable role model to his generation and those to come. Unfortunately,
his life was cut short, and he was not able to grace the world with more of his
kind words.
In the suspicious
death of Brandon Lee, three conspiracies are highlighted. One tells a foreseen
unavoidable curse that created a series of misfortunate events. However, the
other two show strong evidence of foul play.
Conspiracy 1
The first
conspiracy is that Chinese martial artists were upset with Lee's decision to
broadcast ancient martial art skills so they executed him. In the Chinese
culture, you must be very secretive with the Kung-Fu art form and once Brandon
started gaining popularity in the acting world, it was evident that he was
showing the American culture easily the practices that had taken centuries to
be taught down from generation to generation (Chinese Culture). In Bruce Lee's
famous movie Game of Death, we see him almost murdered by a real bullet being
shot out of what was supposed to be a prop just like the incident that took his
son’s life (Fun Conspiracies). The coincidences between the two are so similar
that perhaps someone who was tired of their ancestry being shown to another
country had to lash out against him (1)? Although this is the least likely of
the conspiracies, it is still a plausible reason for them to take him out (1).
Conspiracy 2
The second
conspiracy is that a curse was placed upon the Lee family that resulted in both
Brandon and his father’s deaths (Strangest Mysteries of the World and beyond).
Although there is no origin of the curse, Bruce Lee said that he himself had
personal demons and that he knew he would die half of his father’s age (his
father was 64 and he passed away at 32) (1). Coincidentally, Brandon said that
he also knew he would die soon and even younger than his father, which he did.
He passed away at the young age of 29 years old, only a year after he told his
then girlfriend, Shannon Bradley-Colleary, that he knew his time was near
(Remembering Former Love Brandon). He called her shaking with fear that he
physically felt that he was dying soon, and many claim these visions are what
can be called the “Lee Curse.”
Conspiracy 3
The final
conspiracy is that the Chinese Triads executed Brandon just because of his
father’s past decisions (Fun Conspiracies). The mafia group originally helped
finance and produce Bruce Lee's original films, and once he chose to partner
into the Hollywood industry and cut off his ties with them, they became enraged
thus murdering him (1). The night that Brandon was murdered, a dummy bullet was
shot out of a gun that punctured his lower abdomen resulting in a very painful
death (1). Numerous reenactments have been conducted, and all of which came to
the same result that this is absolutely impossible. One of America's most
experienced weapons' experts, Webb Birdsong, said, “It makes assumptions that
can’t hold up. You have a better chance of winning the Irish Sweepstakes than
of the firing of a blank forcing out a projectile left in a barrel with such
force as to cause that kind of damage" (Theories on their Mysterious
Deaths). In the trial tested, a .44 magnum just like the one Michael Masse, the
actor who fired the weapon that shot Brandon in the stomach with, was lodged
with a dummy bullet followed by a loaded blank (1). Once fired, the bullet only
traveled four feet away. Brandon was approximately 20 feet away when he was
murdered in cold blood (1). The Mafia is known for taking out whoever causes an
issue with them, and it would have been very easy for them to find an
apprentice to appear on the set of Brandon's The Crow rehearsal set and
plant a real bullet without being detected.
The connection between
Brandon Lee and his father are very prominent in all conspiracies listed above
because it is impossible to talk about one without the other. Brandon's death
was practically chosen from a movie scene in which his father acted in. Not
only did his father die before his biggest film to come, but so did Brandon.
Bruce's death was at random, and Brandon became the first person in movie
making history to be fatally shot on a movie set during recording. Who Brandon
had enemies with was not the case but more so who his father had enemies with,
therefore going after him.
Survey
In a survey
conducted at College of the Mainland, twenty individuals were asked whether
they thought that their was any evidence of foul play and 80% of people said
yes. Even to someone who may not know the total background of Brandon Lee, it
is still clear that this man was purposefully killed in a manner that was meant
to show a message. Instead of being killed at home, he was shot doing what he
loved to do in front of people who will be emotionally scarred for the rest of
their lives.
In conclusion,
devoting fans and conspiracy fanatics are still trying to find clues twenty
years after Brandon has passed but no new answers have yet surfaced. Whoever
was responsible for his death could be long gone by now, and justice will never
be served. The people who were close to him continue to mourn the loss of a
very great up and coming star that was taken away when he had so much to still
show the world.
In conclusion, the
murder of Brandon Lee still remains a mystery. All that is left is a conspiracy
that may never be solved.
1.
Were
the ancient Chinese martial arts followers out to get him and planted the
bullet which fatally took his life?
2.
Was
their a Curse of death upon the Lee family which resulted in such an odd death?
3.
Did
the Chinese Triads kill him because he was Bruce Lee's son?
He will forever be
remembered by many adoring fans and fellow actors. Even though he passed away
at the young age of 28, his potential to explode further into the Hollywood
industry was very evident. His handsome, and soft-spoken nature will be missed,
and his martial artist abilities will live on his movies forever.
Works Cited
"Bruce Lee Dies at Age
32." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2016. Web. 14 Nov.
2016.
Brandon Lee- Talking about Bruce Lee. Perf. Brandon Lee. Brandon Lee-
Talking about Bruce Lee. Leonardo Muce, 31 Nov. 2009. Web.
Bradley-Colleary, Shannon.
""I See You've Made a New Friend" & Other Memories of a Boy
Gone Too Soon - Shannon Bradley-Colleary." Shannon Bradley-Colleary.
N.p., 05 May 2016. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.
Bradley-Colleary, Shannon.
"Remembering Former Love Brandon Lee." Shannon Bradley-Colleary.
N.p., 23 Aug. 2015. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.
Brandon Lee Final Interview with
Rare Clips. Perf.
Brandon Lee. Brandon Lee Final Interview with Rare Clips. Darkmvz1, 13
May 2013. Web.
KHAndAnime.
"Fun Conspiracies - Brandon Lee's Death - Off-Topic Discussion -
GameSpot."
GameSpot.
GameSpot, 09 July 2009. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.
Scepcop.
"Theories on Their Mysterious Deaths." Theories on Their
Mysterious Deaths:
Conspiracies / Cover Ups • SCEPCOP Forum. Debunking Skeptics, 09 Aug. 2011.
Web. 05 Dec. 2016.
Zimmerman,
Kim Ann. "Chinese Culture: Customs & Traditions of China." LiveScience.
Purch,
15 Jan. 2015. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.
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