10 Insane Rumours Fans Started About Movie Stars
8. Bruce Lee Was Assassinated By The Triads
Bruce Lee died suddenly almost 50 years ago at just 32 years of age, and the fact that such a physically fit individual with seemingly no underlying health conditions could die so young inevitably sparked much speculation about his cause of death.
By far the most prominent rumour is that Lee was murdered by a criminal organisation, either the Hong Kong triads to whom he refused to pay protection fees on one of his film sets, or the Chinese triads who felt that his Cantonese movies were damaging the popularity of Mandarin-language films.
As intriguingly salacious as such stories are - feeling like they belong in one of Lee's own movies, even - the truth is likely far more mundane.
Though we will never know for certain what caused Lee's fatal cerebral edema (brain swelling), the most plausible suggestions are either an adverse reaction to a painkiller he took, or heat stroke due to having his underarm sweat glands removed in late 1972, causing him to overheat while exercising.