David Carradine, RIP

The 72-year-old actor of "Kung Fu" and "Kill Bill" fame passed away in Thailand today.

Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

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Viktor

@SITAR #18, Awesome, you win!

RIP Grasshopper…
hisdevineshadow

I just saw this on the news 30 minutes ago and was going to mention it at the end of my previous post but decided against it. Wrong forum. I was so surprised to finished it to find this posting already with 20 comments!
Nelson.C

In which case, Fiddy, we should also check if Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen and Vivica A Fox are dead, and if Daryl Hannah is wandering the desert sans eyes.
Moby Jane

And if they do detain Uma, I really hope they seize that yellow jumpsuit as evidence and perhaps it could end up in my wardrobe via auction.
RedShirt77

Wow, to die during auto-erotic asphyxiation at age 72. I hope I am that virile at that age.

Good man, unfortunate accident, he will be missed.
mneptok

I guess he was finally able to snatch the stone from $DEITY’s hand …
thequickbrownfox

He also played Woody Guthrie in “Bound for Glory” (1976) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074235/
Timothy Hutton

He will be sorely missed…

At least we still have his children Robert and Keith (and several others not in the entertainment business)…
Anonymous

I doubt any other actor could have shown us what he did.

Well, except Bruce Lee, who created the concept but couldn’t get the part because he was … ahem.
Anonymous

We will never forget you ‘Grasshopper’! I will never forget having to make my son a little outfit like you wore on Kung Fu (back in the day)… If speculation is true, you were Strong to the end! RIP
my beloved grasshopper…
tizroc

bklynchris,

This is a common question. To people who enjoy this it is extremely gratifying sexually. I know both men and women who enjoy this. However we don’t know 100% if this is what happened to Mr. Carradine.

Wiki has an article on it that kind of explains the idea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_asphyxiation

I think it is similar (I am not into it so this is just an idea) to getting the extra feeling and tingles you get when you cut the blood off from your hand to make the spider web joke as a kid. Only the entire body. It is supposed to increase the pleasure a lot.

I just re-read my own post here and the thought from Mr. Shakespeare hit me.. “She/he doth protest too much”.. but seriously I am not.. There I go again.
Stormbringer

Mr Carradine was staying at the luxury Park Nai Lert Hotel in Bangkok where he was found by a maid.

The actor was discovered with a cord around his neck and other parts of his naked body, said cops.

A police officer said: “A rope was attached to his neck and also to his penis”.

His personal manager Chuck Binder described the hanging as “accidental”.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2464856/Naked-David-Carradine-found-hanged-in-Thai-hotel-wardrobe.html?OTC-RSS&ATTR=News
Anonymous

Didn’t he once say “I consider any man who can’t arrange to have at least one orgasm a day a loser?”

I hope it isn’t tasteless to bring that up, I just kind of agree with him (if it was him).
Ian70

I think it’s less important how he departed this earth, and more important how he lived his life.

I think you agree with me, Internet.
Anonymous

RIP David Carradine. *KARATE KICK!*
Stefan Jones

#18: Well, the Emperor’s assassins WERE out to kill him. The bastards had to ruin his reputation lest others feel tempted to throw spears at the royal nephew.
Anonymous

Iâ€™m a Bangkok blogger at the hotel where Carradine died. My blog is http://magickpapers.com/blog/

The announcer for the BBC breaks the story on TV. David Carradine was found dead in the Swiss Hotel on Soi Nailert. The film star was found in the closet of his room bound by curtain rope around his neck, and the inference is that his genitals were bound as well. The news ran through the Bangkok film colony like a forest fire.

I consult investigative journalist David Walker. He is also a screenwriter and author of the cult classic book, Hello My Big Big Honey. Walker is at the hotel. He has already led a CBS crew to legendary film producer-director David Winters penthouse office. Winters is a dear friend of Carradine from their glory days in Hollywood. Walker wants to see the surveilance tapes. No chance Bagger Vance. Dr. Pornthip, a colorful Thai forensic scientist is on the scene at the hotel. Walker says Pornthip, who is famous for sporting many hued punk hair styles and is a bit of a celebrity,delares the case to be death by auto sexual strangulation.

I roll up to Winters penthouse office. He is devastated by the tragic loss of a dear friend. He has not slept. CBS and People Magazine have already come by to solicit intelligence. David is shocked by the tawdry inferrences. He has spoken to 3 of Carradines agents. The agents declare that Carradine was on the roll of a lifetime. Quentin Tarantino redefined the 72 year old actor in Kill Bill. Carradine recieved a Golden Globe nomination for his work with Tarantino. The actor of the classic cult TV series Kung Fu had starred in 13 motion pictures since Kill Bill. His salary was in the stratosphere.

The strange circumstances of the verdict by auto- sexual strangulation trouble Winters. It takes two to tango. Why indeed would a man of his talent take his own life alone. Bangkok is known as a city with love for sale. Film people come here to shoot and avail themselves of the pleasures to be found in the gilded city of sin. Kinky sex is no big deal. Could this be a coverup for a sex robbery murder. The Royal Thai Police have shut the door on this case all too quickly. The tourist industry has been severely damaged by the recession and political instability. The murder of a famous film star would be a final nail in the coffin of the tourism industry. Winters says that Carradine, son of John , iconic members of an American cinema dynasty were above the fray. David Carradine was according to Winters a consumate gentleman, a brilliant actor, and a man for all seasons.

I run into local film producer Tom Waller at a reception hosted by the Italian Embassy. Tom does not believe in the verdict of death by auto-sexual strangulation. He concludes that it was a sex robbery gone wrong, and that to cover the motives the body had been arranged to fit the profile of death by auto- sexual strangulation, a theory once confined to the genre of novels classified as psychological thrillers. The denizens of the film colony in Bangkok are incredulous at the grisly circumstances of the sad demise of this brilliant talent.

The reception is attended by beaucoup des artistes and cineastes. Film critic Nick Palevski and I schmooze at the bar. Between glasses of vino rosso and spumante Nick expresses his distaste for the tawdy belching of the media and press. He is the critic for Auteur, a web site devoted to film criticism. He can not believe the shabby and sensational manner in which this case is being exploited.

In no way is this story meant to impugn the reputation of the Royal Thai Police, their meritorious service is well known. Nor is it meant to slander the bereaved Carradine family. The American Embassy has issued a statement wishing the family the best in this tragic moment, embassy staff have no other conclusion re this case except the finding of the body. Aristotelian logic might conclude that something is rotten in Denmark. Western countries would conduct a far more sophisticated investigation.

The epilogue is delivered by my dear friend in Santa Monica Martin Zweiback. He is a writer- producer director with 50 years of credits in Hollywood. Martin scrpted the original Kung Fu series and is a close friend of David Carradine. Martin is a gentleman of class and distinction. He often graces the Bangkok film colony with his presence. It is fitting that a cineaste of his stature have the final word in this affair. I recieved this e mail from Martin, and with all due respect to this fine bloke it is represented here below as a final testament to this sordid affair.

More at http://magickpapers.com/blog/
markfrei

I teach safer sex and safer BDSM. One of the things we teach is not to do these kinds of games alone – I’ve personally lost several friends this way.

But, what an amazing life…
Brainspore

I guess there are more embarrassing ways to be found dead in Bangkok.

If there is an afterlife then it is about to have one hell of an exhibition match when Carradine and Bruce Lee finally get their face-to-face showdown.
Anonymous

You’re gonna be truly missed, David Carradine. …Rest In Peace.

-CISCO
Switters

#25: Robert and Keith are his half-brothers, not his children.
Anonymous

it’s just very sad – never mind all the speculation
tizroc

markfrei,

If that is indeed what happened I hope that part (only part) of his legacy will be to help teach others how important safety can be. I always enjoyed listening to his delivery of lines and his apparently cool and collected presence.
Anonymous

Best line in Dethrace 2000… David Carradine “It’s not just a grenade, it’s a HAND grenade!”
Anonymous

David Carradine’s ex-wife, Marina Anderson, has written a book about his death. It’s called “David Carradine: The Eye of My Tornado”. I don’t think Anderson ever accepted the “accidental” death claim. It will be interesting to see what she proposes as the true cause of death.
bklynchris

I very seriously do not mean any disrespect given the circumstances. But I kinda want to know, is the orgasm THAT great and does it differ between men and women?

Apologies in advance if I am being crude.
bklynchris

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Say it isn’t so!!!!!!!!!!! He will be dearly missed. I loved that show. He was the first successful non-Asian Asian actor, of my generation. That show, as an Asian growing up in Minnesota, reduced my outsider status big time. Of course, I had to pretend that I knew Kung Fu…..
BrotherPower

I attended an interesting seminar for writers conducted by a retired homicide detective many years ago, and someone asked how the old cop would get away with murder if he had to.

He said there were only two really solid methods he knew of: one was a drug (whose name escapes me) that mimics a heart attack, and the other was to set it up to look like auto-erotic asphyxiation.

Just sayin’.
Anonymous

Sex play gone wrong, or Bruce Lee fanatical fans come back for their final vendetta. It was Bruce Lee’s idea, and Carradine knew it.

Murder/Accident, but not a suicide. A 72 year old man with a bank account committing suicide naked in a closet?

The Thai police just lost a fan, me.
zuzu

Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique
Anonymous

Updated | 10:58 a.m. Thai police have told BBC News that Mr. Carradine was found on Thursday morning by a hotel maid in a wardrobe with a rope around his neck.
xzzy

At least he got to go out in style. Kill Bill really put him in the public eye, was nice to see him not stuck in obscurity.

imdb says he’s got 6 movies in post production, he was certainly a busy dude.
cinemajay

Rest in peace Grasshopper.
cinemajay

Oh, and let’s not forget he sold phone books:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQR41h2jGoQ
Anonymous

RIP David,
I learned alot from you, and it changed,
My life forever.
I am grasshopper.
Thank you for the song “PHOENIX”,
We were working on.

I will miss you! Until the next time,
Or you just decide to look down.
You will smile, when you hear,
Our song “PHOENIX”
http://phoenixbenjamin.com

“I’m gonna rise up like a Phoenix,
And take wing,
I’m gonna put myself together,
Once again and learn to sing,
A new song, like I never sang befor,
Just wait and see,
I’m gonna rise up like a Phoenix,
From my ashes, and be free”

Much respect,
Phoenix Benjamin
By David Carradine (Ontario Speedway 1975)
Anonymous

The first DVD I ever purchased was “Death Race 2000″ which I first saw at an outdoor movie theater when I was in high school many years ago. The movie inspired a very early video game of the same name.
Cross country race, with extra points from bumping into pedestrians. It warped my mind permanently.
Anonymous

I remember his appearances on the Merv Griffin show back in the ’70s. He’d come out with his long hair and jeans and Merv and the other guests would be amused at his silences. He refused to be “charming” or “chatty” and sometimes it’d be uncomfortable to watch. He’d tell weird stories about his childhood. I especially remember one night, when he actually got up and WALKED OFF the Merv Griffin set. A Las Vegas standup comic who apparently “hated hippies” was being sarcastic and offensive and making fun of him. When he got up and walked off, the comic kept asking “what’s the matter, man? What’s the matter, man?” Merv looked embarrassed. Does anyone else remember that night. It’s stuck in my mind all these years.
Anonymous

From the Kung Fu television series -

Master: When does the pebble’s journey end?

Young Kwai Chang Caine: Upon hitting the water?

Master: Does not the pebble set off ripples that reach to the farthest part of the pond?

Or my favorite Kwai Chang Caine line that I used many times in school: “I seek not to know all the answers but only to fully understand the questions.” Got detention for that once.
TroofSeeker

Both our sons knew and loved David for his narration in Wild West Tech. Fun guy.
tresser

Thai police told the BBC the 72-year-old was found by a hotel maid sitting in a wardrobe with a rope around his neck and genitals.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/5444839/David-Carradin
e-found-dead-in-wardrobe-of-Bangkok-hotel.html

(at the time of this posting, the article was changed to the following:

Thai police told the BBC the 72-year-old was found by a hotel maid sitting in a wardrobe with a rope around his neck and other body parts.
flip

Deep within the halls of the Ministry of Truth, Winston goes about his daily tasks, clip here an edit there and it was like it never happened…. as if everything was always -the way it is today.
Anonymous

They are saying it was suicide.
TheCrawNotTheCraw

Good bye, Mr. Caradine.

I enjoyed your acting very much, and am glad that you got to costar in the “Kill Bill” trilogy. You were as cool as ever.

Rest in peace.
scdevine

A taut rope around the neck, drawn down behind the back, and lashed tightly around the scrotum will force the victim to thrash carefully and sensuously to death by asphyxiation. The agony of self castration prevents the individual from stopping his own slow strangulation. He cannot have done this by himself, his hands would have had to have been tied before he was trussed up. It is a way that the executing gangster (or prostitute) can grin and shrug and say: “his own balls killed him”. Unlike Tal Shaiya, this is not considered a merciful method of execution on Vulcan. It is a death-joke of extreme humiliation and agony.

Mob Humor: Now all the Bangkok pimps will yell at their charges: “The American didn’t want you! You are no good! Work harder! More men! More money!”.

Being tied like this by the neck and ankles (hands tied behind) is fairly horrifying as well, far worse than being water-boarded, imho, but I guess not as painful as the version Dave got. That’s called “The Rocking Horse” because of the swaying movements the dying victim makes on his belly. The scrotum version has its own name, but I don’t know what it is. Something poetic and humiliating, no doubt.
TroofSeeker

David was an inspiration to a generation that knew change was required, but weren’t sure how to deal with many issues and attitudes. As Quay Chang Caine, David showed us what a heart at peace is like, and those of us who truly wanted to be at peace learned it from him. I doubt any other actor could have shown us what he did.
Rest in peace, brother David. (sniff)
Takuan

it is always a useful exercise to try to write your own obituary as you wish or imagine others will.
Phikus

Don’t forget Death Race 2000!

DC had a good run, but will be missed.
monkey_pirate

This really blows. He was by far the best thing about the second part of Kill Bill. QT’s insistance on writing monologues was actually made interesting with DC’s delivery.

And yes, I do remember watching Kung-Fu back in the day, though it was in the early days of syndication. Good stuff.
nanuq

Sob. He had style, right to the end. The Carradine legacy will live on.
Lobster

So sad. His laid back delivery was so much different than anyone else in the business. He was the poor man’s Christopher Walken.
Blackhat

Very, very sorry to hear this. I loved his acting style.
sitar

clearly murdered and made to look like a suicide.
Anonymous

Exclusive interview of KUNG FU’s legendary star David Carradine, sharing his splendid moments of working with Master Yuen Woo Ping. It would probably be Davidâ€™s last interview before deathâ€¦
TRUE LEGEND OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.yuenwooping-truelegend.com
Phikus

I believe it was an armless knife thrower that got him in the end.
Viktor

I don’t think this was a suicide or murder. Very likely from the media coverage and changes in what they are reporting that it was auto-erotic asphyxiation. This happens a lot more than most people know… I actually think it was likely a big accident. It IS sad, but this is better than thinking it was a suicide.
sitar

ok, clearly a murder and made to look like auto-erotic asphyxiation
Anonymous

wow…i have a very distinct memory of david caradine on merv griffen as well…

merv was very uptight very straight lace but also very gay in his private life. I was around 14 at the time when he had caradine on and he comes out and rather sensuously kisses merv on the cheek. like very sincerely, not mockingly at all as if to say ‘why should you pretend to be straight?” it seemed like he was into chalenging the old order in a very hippie and sweet way. it made a big impression on me as an emerging gay adolescent. merv just looked extremely uncomfortable …like he was being outed.
side note…i remember people walking off talk shows all the time in the 70′s or showing up drunk and everyone was cool with it… not at all like it is today where supposedly candid conversations are actually rehearsed before they take place today and nothing truly is spontanious
anymore
indiie

Surprised not to see this:

“One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy
One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble
Can’t be too careful with your company
I can feel the devil walking next to me”

Had that song running through my head all day yesterday. I am sad, he was one of my favorite actors. goodnight, grasshopper.
Takuan

Seventy-two years… did anyone know him? Was he a good man?
Fiddy

I’m pretty sure the Bangkok police are already trying to detain Uma Thurman for questioning. Seems like someone finally Killed Bill, and she is the prime suspect.
D.RIVER

I worked with David on Legend in Toronto. What I most remember was his great story telling about old Hollywood and working with young directors who later became the best of the best. He was always protective of the crew against bad decisions by production.
I am shocked and sadden by his death.