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You can't think of martial arts movies without Bruce Lee springing to mind. The late star is probably the most iconic actor in the genre, and has reached legendary status in the world of martial arts.

The man was responsible for introducing kung fu to the West with his fast, powerful, and precise moves, conquering audiences all over the world. A teacher, actor, poet, and philosopher, Bruce Lee remains a true icon.

Let's take a look back at his personal life, career, and the fascinating theory about his sudden death at the age of 32. Click through and pay tribute to Bruce Lee.

▲Bruce Lee was born Lee Jun-fan on November 27, 1940 in San Francisco, California.

▲Three months later he moved to Hong Kong with his mother, Grace Ho, and his father, Lee Hoi-chuen, an opera and film star.

▲Bruce Lee had two brothers, Peter Lee and Robert Lee, and two sisters, Phoebe Lee, and Agnes Lee.

▲In 1950, Lee landed his first big role in the movie 'The Kid,' where he co-starred with his father.

▲Bruce Lee continued to work in a number of movies as a child. By 18 he already had 20 films under his belt.

▲The young Bruce Lee was constantly involved in street fights and was having trouble at school, so his parents introduced him to martial arts.

▲In 1957, aged 16, he started learning Wing Chun from kung fu master, Yip Man.

▲Yip Man's students refused to train with Lee because of his ancestry (his mother was half German), and martial arts were not taught to non-Asians. However, he continued learning from the master privately.

▲But Bruce Lee was not just about Wing Chun. He picked up boxing and even won the Hong Kong schools boxing tournament in 1958.

▲In 1959, after getting into a fight with a boy linked to a dangerous triad family, Lee's parents decided to send him to the United States to stay with his sister.

▲Once Bruce Lee was settled in Seattle, he started teaching martial arts. He eventually opened his own martial arts school and called it the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute, which translates to "Bruce Lee's Kung Fu Institute."

▲His fighting style evolved and included elements of other sports, such as fencing and boxing.

▲While Bruce Lee is better known for his movies, he also played Kato on the TV show 'The Green Hornet.'

▲The TV series introduced Bruce Lee to American audiences in 1966.

▲Bruce Lee only made a handful of movies in the US, including 'Marlowe,' 'The Big Boss,' 'Fist of Fury,' 'The Way of the Dragon,' and 'Enter the Dragon.'

▲His most popular film, 'Enter the Dragon,' was released posthumously.

▲Bruce Lee died before he finished the movie 'Game of Death.'

▲He was fast, sometimes too fast for the cameras at the time. He actually had to slow down his moves while shooting movies.

▲The one-inch punch, his signature move where he punched people with great force at close range, has been studied.

▲Biomechanical researcher Jessica Rose explained, "When watching the one-inch punch, you can see that his leading and trailing legs straighten with a rapid, explosive knee extension." The force from his legs enables his hips to twist faster, "which, in turn, lurches the shoulder of his thrusting arm forward."

▲Bruce Lee was really interested in poetry and philosophy, and even studied the subjects in college.

▲He met his wife Linda Lee Cadwell in college, and they had two children, Brandon Lee and Shannon Lee (pictured).

▲His first child followed his father's footsteps into Hollywood.

▲But Brandon Lee tragically lost his life while filming 'The Crow' in 1993. Bruce Lee's son was shot dead on set with a prop gun containing real bullets.

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Bruce Lee allegedly had an affair with actress Betty Ting Pei, who was reportedly the last person to see him alive.

▲Bruce Lee passed away in his sleep on July 20, 1973, aged 32. An allergic reaction to Equagesic, a painkiller containing meprobamate and aspirin, was thought to be the cause. However, five decades later new information came out about his abrupt death. Officials ruled at the time that the cause was cerebral oedema—brain swelling—but a research paper published in the December 2022 edition of Clinical Kidney Journal suggests that Lee's death was actually caused by his “kidney’s inability to excrete excess water.”

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The authors write that Lee had “multiple risk factors for hyponatraemia,” which is a dangerously low sodium concentration in the blood, citing his “chronic fluid intake,” use of marijuana (which increases thirst), and things like prescription drugs, alcohol intake, and his history of injuries which may have interfered with the kidney's function. “We hypothesize that Bruce Lee died from a specific form of kidney dysfunction: the inability to excrete enough water to maintain water homeostasis … This may lead to hyponatraemia, cerebral oedema and death within hours if excess water intake is not matched by water excretion in urine,” the paper concludes, as reported by Variety. “Given that hyponatraemia is frequent, as is found in up to 40% of hospitalized persons and may cause death due to excessive water ingestion even in young healthy persons, there is a need for a wider dissemination of the concept that excessive water intake can kill.”

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Bruce Lee's death and success in the West triggered a Kung Fu craze in the industry.

▲Bruce Lee's legend lives on as one of the most inspirational martial artists ever. His fighting style is taught all over the world.

▲Father and son are buried next to each other at Lake view cemetery in Seattle.

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Many tributes have been made to Bruce Lee after his death, including this bronze memorial statue that can be found in Hong Kong.

Bruce Lee: from martial artist to Hollywood star

Lee was born on November 27, 1940

25/04/25 por StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Anthology

Let's take a look back at his personal life, career, and the fascinating theory about his sudden death at the age of 32. Click through and pay tribute to Bruce Lee.