The cause of Bruce Lee’s death is still talked about today, almost 50 years after the Enter The Dragon star’s passing. While the autopsy on the then-32-year-old was said to confirm that he passed away due to cerebral edema, a brain swelling. It was believed that this had been caused by a reaction to medication the actor had taken just before his death. However, a new study has suggested an alternative reason for the legendary actor’s passing, which could have simply been that he drank too much water.

Over the last five decades, there have been many theories about the death of Lee, even with the autopsy seemingly confirming the cause. These have included everything from dying from being assassinated by a Chinese gang to being poisoned by a jealous lover and even as the result of an ancient curse. Now, however, a group of researchers has put forward a much more mundane suggestion for the star’s death at such a young age. Writing in the Clinical Kidney Journal, a research team wrote:

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Why Is There Still So Much Speculation Around Bruce Lee’s Death?

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In July 2023, it will have been 50 years since the death of Bruce Lee. While there is always a strange buzz of interest around celebrity deaths, particularly when a star dies young, the speculation around Lee’s death is unprecedented. This new study and theory about the iconic actor prove that even now, people are trying to shed light on a death that already has what seems to be a clear-cut reason behind it.

“In conclusion, 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 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. The fact that we are 60% water does not protect us from the potentially lethal consequences of drinking water at a faster rate than our kidneys can excrete excess water. Ironically, Lee made famous the quote ‘Be water my friend’, but excess water appears to have ultimately killed him.”

However, Bruce Lee remains one of the most respected and iconic Asian actors ever to enter Hollywood. Still, a household name on the back of a list of films made all too short by his passing, the interest in Lee has even seen him appearing as a character in movies like Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. In a show of how protective friends and fans of the late star are over his memory, Tarantino was forced to defend the “arrogant” depiction of the martial arts star in that movie, and it came under fire for being “inaccurate” and was branded disrespectful.

It seems that the legacy of Bruce Lee will continue to interest people, meaning that whether it is his on-screen appearances, personal life, or the manner of his death, someone will always be referencing it somewhere at some time.