David Carradine found dead in Thailand hotel

Source: MSNBC

Breaking news
msnbc.com news services
updated 6 minutes ago

Actor David Carradine, who starred in the ’70s TV series “Kung Fu,” and more recently in the “Kill Bill’ films, was found dead Thursday in a Bangkok hotel. He was 73.

Carradine’s agent confirmed the actor’s death to a Thailand newspaper, saying he believed Carradine died of natural causes. The U.S. Embarry in Bangkok also confirmed the death.

The oldest son of actor John Carradine, he appeared in more than 200 films and TV shows, and worked as a producer, director and writer as well.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31103217/

---

Farewell Grasshopper.

How old was he? Heart attack?

Sad.....

An easy way to remember.

usage For both transitive and intransitive senses 1b the past and past participle hung, as well as hanged, is standard. Hanged is most appropriate for official executions <he was to be hanged, cut down whilst still alive…and his bowels torn out — Louis Allen> but hung is also used <gave orders that she should be hung — Peter Quennell>. Hung is more appropriate for less formal hangings <by morning I'll be hung in effigy — Ronald Reagan>.

Clyde Bruckman: You know, there are worse ways to go, but I can't think of a more undignified way than autoerotic asphyxiation.

Mulder: Why are you telling me that?

Clyde Bruckman: Look, forget I mentioned it. It's none of my business




Poor Mr Carradine. I'm sorry to hear of his passing.


Laura

Extremely unlikely.

He had a history of suicide attempts.

The stuff about the rope wrapped around his neck and his genitals sounds awful under any circumstances and my deepest sympathies to all who knew and cared for him.




Laura

According to TMZ for whatever that's worth...

http://www.tmz.com/2009/06/04/david-carradines-rep-death-was-accidental

Sounds like his associates and family are in shock. Carradine had a history of depression and there was even a suicide attempt in his past. Who knows what kind of health or other problems he was facing at his age.

But despite an enthusiasm for his work, the actor had openly discussed his battle with suicidal thoughts. In a 2004 interview, Carradine said: "I remember one time sitting at the window of the third or fourth floor of the Plaza Hotel for about an hour, thinking about just tipping off."

He also said he had considered shooting himself.

"Look, there was a period in my life when I had a single action Colt 45, loaded, in my desk drawer. And every night I'd take it out and think about blowing my head off, and then decide not to and go on with my life. Put it back in the drawer and open the laptop and continue writing my autobiography or whatever. But it was just to see."

Carradine's ex-wife says the actor suffered from depression.

Sad
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7015385215

he ordered. Or is it?

Sorry to hear that.

I liked him in Kung-Fu, Bound for Glory, Lone Wolf McQuade and yes the Kill Bill movies.

although, i have a feeling he'll be back though...

but I'm not the least bit surprised. He drank like a fish.

I worked with the guy several times out in L.A., the stories I could tell you.

Take care, David, hope you are finally at peace.

:)

I will correct it.
Thanks, :) LOL

whom i saw in 66 or 67 at college. he was apparently drunk at the time. brilliant, but drunk. i was struck by the physical resemblance in David later photos.

Wow. So sorry to hear this. Used to watch Kung Fu. And would always chuckle at his parody of that show via those Yellow Book ads.

R.I.P.

Peaceful Journey, Grasshopper.

:toast:

n/t

RIP David.

turned to television of the 60's and 70's for much of my moral guidance (before you judge too harshly consider the differences between now and then) and Kung Fu was a major influence. David was an actor primarily and was not responsible for the writing but he did lend an extremely believable, deep and charismatic performance to the show that ultimately made it what it was.

In retrospect, my affinity for the moral substance of the Eastern philosophy that was so well portrayed in the first two seasons of Kung Fu were a tremendous handicap to me in American society... and something I don't regret in the least. America's commitment to empty, immoral, isolated, self interested and externalized gratification has only deepened. Kung Fu is not found in reruns... why?

TVLand is a fucking bad joke. With the wealth of fantastic, mature television that was produced in the golden age of television the fucking narrow selection of overshown shit that saturates TVLand can only be because of some financial goal.

I also enjoyed Then Came Bronson, The Fugitive, Bonanza, The Rifleman, Andy Griffith and others. Yeah, I guess I'm an old asshole. But ya know what? I wouldn't trade it for anything. I knew freedom as a kid. Unlocked doors, long lazy days exploring and riding my bike... ALONE and not fucked in the ass, lit on fire, cut up into little pieces and eaten or kidnapped once!

I agree. Thursday nights, my parents' bowling night, my brother and I would eat pickles and cheddar cheese while watching Kung Fu--the source of my interest in eastern philosophy.

Carradine was a terrific actor, but my favorite role has to be Frankenstein in Deathrace 2000.

You'll be missed, David, but you won't be soon forgotten.

but I prefer the "sequel in name only" movie "Deathsport", the best of all Star Wars b-movie knock off's of the late 70's early 80's. Richard Lynch vs. David Carradine is epic!!!

When I watched it as a kid, I swore that if I ever had a son, I would try to get him into a Shaolin monastery so he could get those deeper values. I grew up and didn't do that. It was a mistake.

yard with a cold pop and watching clouds over head. I feel sorry for kids now days.

young (mid last century), the messages that many of us got from the tube are IMO much better than the over-the-top commercialism of what passes today for "entertainment."

Are parents today on TV any better than Ward and June? Wasn't Sheriff Andy a great father a well? etc...

Even taking into account the racism with his casting (instead of Bruce Lee), I always loved Kung Fu, for all that it portrayed and promoted. I especially remember an episode with Jose Feliciano and Cannonball Adderly where the three (with David) played a tune out in the wild. It was beautiful.

I also think that the message that "we" could defend ourselves, if forced into a corner, in a non-lethal manner against the evils of America (the Wild West) was one that resonated.

An icon, to be sure.

Thank you, David.

I totally agree with you about the sorry state & demise of TVLand. It's kind of a metaphor for the times we live in - exploitative and willing to trash whatever treasures are left in our lives - to some end which is incomprehensible to me.

Sad to hear about Mr. Carradine and my son, an absolute moviehound, surely will be, too.

I'll bet yuh.

I was not a fan, but a very interesting show.

A friend down the street liked Michael Parks MUSIC and bought his albums.

Godspeed, David, I hope they have good LSD up in heaven!

-90% Jimmy

Very sad. I wanted to be Caine from the age of about four on.

:(

May he RIP.

liked your "Tom Horn" better than McQueen's, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO25vI1slno

cool. "Kung Fu" was my favorite show as a kid. Cain was cool in a wholw way. I am glad David had a nice ride with Tarentino in his later years. I remember an interviewin in whch David said he had tripped on LSD thousands of times. That thought always stuck with me. I wonder if he was terminally ill. It seems pretty lame to bump yourself off in the middle of a film with so many counting on you. RIP grasshopper.

I read a book authored by him that said he was a dancer, not a martial arts expert like Bruce Lee and it was a flying dance move that convinced the producers and directors to hire him in the lead role over Bruce Lee.

with depression?

any way -- very very sad and i'm sorry to see him go.

May Peace be with his family.

Charlton Heston starred in sci-fi flick "The Omega Man" in 1971...



remade into "I Am Legend", released in 2007.



Heston passed away April 8, 2008.


David Carradine starred in sci-fi flick "Death Race 2000" in 1975...



remade into "Death Race", released in 2008...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JEbW-ttopQo/SLbvLaMUIFI/AAAAAAAABng/6sG204iPKn8/s400/death+race.jpg

David Carradine passes away June 4, 2009.

Spooky, eh?

David, I loved your stuff! RIP!

As if we needed another.

Where one of the stars of the remake died shortly after the latest remake was released instead of the original stars...

I guess you could also throw in Majel Barett Roddenberry, but she was in both the original Star Trek series as well as the "remake" (though I guess many folks really wouldn't call it a "remake" of the original series). And she died just before the "remake" of Star Trek was released.

I definitely had a thing for Kwai Chang Cain when I was a kid. Geez, what a couple of days. Koko Taylor, David Carradine, and Louis Prima's sax man.

RIP, man. I never could figure out how serious his persona was but I loved that he was in the world.

RIP

Shane ran in 1966.

And then there was that great role in "Mean Streets" which "made" DeNiro.

--imm

I spent hours practicing kicks in front of the wall of mirror tiles in my basement.

I woke up in the middle of the night years ago, and the kung fu was on the tv. carradine was in some small town and tried to help some guy that was on a bucking horse. he managed to get the horse calmed down, but the rider was super pissed and started laying into carradine. turns out the rider had a bet that he could stay on the horse and now he had lost the bet.

some old guy that was watching the whole deal walks up to carradine and says " a helping hand is best kept in your pocket". dude I just freaked out and was up the rest of the night, it was like a revalation or something. From then own every time I get in trouble for trying to help someone, that is what I tell myself before I loose my cool.

R.I.P. David Carradine.

...used to watch it with my grandparents. We thought at the time that Kung-Fu was the character's name, didn't know it was a martial art.

How sad to think that he could have been driven to hang himself, after such an extraordinary career. I can just hear my grandmother (who is 20 years his senior and still alive) shaking her head and saying "What a senseless thing to do!" And not meaning it in a callous way, but a regretful way.

RIP, Grasshopper.

I loved Kung Fu as a young adult, and have admired his other work. I was really shocked to see this news.

David Carradine was something very special.. I had watched many of the KUNG FU dvd's when they came out. It was a really cool program, and had many fine stories.. I absolutely loved Kill Bill, and even have an autographed photo of David, plus poster with Uma, and Quentin that is signed. He will be missed..but hopefully more people will want to know all about his wonderful career.


He did a DISCOVERY special where he went to CHINA to actually visit a Shaolin temple. They all thanked him for making the world aware of Kung Fu and the ways of Shaolin. He received a gift, from the head monk of the Shaolin temple in China, but I don't recall what it was, at the moment.

I can confirm the drinking, at least way back when. I met him at the old Sagebrush Cantina, in Culver City, California. My boss at the time knew him from "Death Sport." We chatted, and I complimented him on "The Long Riders," but he was almost incoherently drunk. I had given up on any improvement in his career until his fine work in the "Kill Bill" films. A sad end indeed for a fine actor who enhanced many of our lives.

At the risk of thread drift, is there a place on this forum to properly introduce myself? I have registered today after a long time lurking.

"welcome to du; introduce yourself" group or forum.

just post--people get to know you that way--from what you say and talk about.

I hasten to add to my anecdote that I was drunk that day as well, although not nearly as much as Mr. Carradine. Ample tequila was consumed on that occasion. I told him how much I liked the scene in "The Long Riders" wherein he stops his flight from the town of Northfield to return and rescue his brother, who had been unhorsed and was under a fussilade of gunfire from the townsfolk. The clever device of the film was to have actual brothers play the various brothers in the story. Robert Carradine played the overwhelmed brother. David displayed superb horsemanship in that scene, and had numerous "squibs" detonate all over his body, with fake blood spurting freely. He had to repeat the scene numerous times, with multiple takes for each of the many camera angles. When I expressed my admiration, all he said in his inebriated state was, "my horse." Turns out that the horse in that scene was indeed his own. That's why he stayed on so well. He and the horse were old pals.

I wonder if the alcohol was an attempt to self-medicate his depression...or if the depression was the result of the alcohol. Either way, I'll miss his acting.

Welcome to DU!
If you want to introduce yourself, you could try the Lounge for starters. It's more of a social board than a "discuss the issues" board. :hi:

Nobody ever talks about that movie anymore.

Loved his father, John Carradine, too.

It's too bad, I loved Kung Fu and his movies.

President Frankenstein!

:-(

He had talent, and like so many artists, dealt with inner demons. He was frequently the victim of his substance abuse issues, including when he was arrested after police tracked him down by following the trail of blood from a neighbor's house. David was under the influence of LSD at the time, and I think it is rare that a person becomes violent under the influence of that drug, especially when they are quite used to it. Jimi Hendrix is the only other person I know of, and he, too, was a gentle soul who found parts of life -- the spotlight -- painful at times.

My family and I will get out my 3-set collection of the Kung Fu series on DVD tonight. I think it was one of the greatest tv series.

Source: AP




AP
Police probe mystery after 'Kung Fu,' 'Kill Bill' star David Carradine reportedly discovered hanging in hotel room in Bangkok, Thailand, where he was filming; he was 72.
• PHOTOS: The Career of David Carradine
• FAST FACTS: David Carradine Biography
• FAST FACTS: David Carradine's Career Highlights

http://www.foxnews.com/


No link yet.

---

Eerie similarities of my co-workers being tricked-n-trafficked to Bangkok prisons then the numerous hooker hangings.
xxx
http://www.defraudingamerica.com/robin_head.html

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/06/04/obit.david.carradine/index.html

CNN) -- American actor David Carradine has been found dead in a Bangkok, Thailand, hotel, according to his personal manager, Chuck Binder.


David Carradine became famous in the 1970s after starring in the television series "Kung Fu."

Binder said Thursday that the death is being investigated but could provide no other details.

Carradine's death was "shocking and sad. He was full of life, always wanting to work ... a great person," Binder said, according to People magazine.

Carradine, who became famous in the 1970s when he starred as traveling Shaolin monk Kwai Chang Caine in the television series "Kung Fu," was 72.

Modern audiences may best know him as "Bill" in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" films. He earned a 2005 Golden Globe nomination for his role in the second movie in the two-part saga. iReport: Share memories of David Carradine

I can't believe this. This is so sad.

Not something I would have ever thought he'd do.

An accident according to TMZ:

http://www.tmz.com/2009/06/04/david-carradines-rep-death-was-accidental

I know this guy mostly as the guy from "Wild West Tech" on the History Channel!

How terrible! I love that guy. :(

Seems kinda weird that he would be filming and then commit suicide. I loved watching Kung-Fu as a kid.

But was it done with a black belt?

This is comedy gold.

David Carradine's Rep: Death Was 'Accidental'



http://www.tmz.com/2009/06/04/david-carradines-rep-death-was-accidental/

:(

Probably what was going on.

around Carradine's neck and genitals -- suggesting autoerotic asphyxiation, or some kind of B&D misadventure with a hooker.

My heart goes out to his family.

And my heart continues to appreciate his art, which I have written about and appreciate.

though I know most people think of his Kung Fu and related work.

MASH, Star Trek, and Kung Fu

I still remember going to the theater to see Circle of Iron with my father and arguing about what it meant.

He will be missed.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090605/ap_on_en_mo/as_carradine_death

Accidental....yikes.....

I'm sure he didn't commit suicide...some misadventure in auto-erotcism that went bad or some crazed Kill Bill fan who wanted to leave a twisted memory of his death...

RIP David....loved your movies....

"There was a rope tied around his neck and another rope tied at his sex organ, and the two ropes were tied together and hung in the closet," police commander Lieutenant General Worapong Siewpreecha told reporters. "Under these circumstances we cannot be sure that he committed suicide but he may have died from masturbation," he said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090605/wl_asia_afp/entertainmentfilmpeopleusthailand_11


A member of the emergency crew who was called to the hotel after a maid found Carradine told CNN that a yellow nylon rope was tied around the actor's neck and a black rope was around his genitals. Police later confirmed that information.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/06/05/carradine.death/index.html

was so surprising that they first said "suicide"....my guess is they have seen the craziest, kinkiest, weirdest things in their line of duty and that they could have immediately stated "death by suffocation or heartattack during an orgasm when they found him like that and been 99.9% accurate even before a coroner saw him. Maybe they initially declared it suicide since he was famous and wanted to give the family and officials time to prepare the news.

He was pretty out of it most of the time, and on another planet for part of the time (hardly a secret that he's been almost perpetually whacked out on various drugs and alcohol for a good 40 years or more) but his long, rambling, disjointed stories from across his life and career were interesting to listen to and he was undoubtedly a versatile dude (actor, artist, musician). A rather odd person, even for an actor (and Chuck Norris, before he got religion and right-wing programming in equal doses and went irrevocably insane, painted a not-so-rosy picture of his antics while filming Lone Wolf McQuade), but I grew up with Kung Fu and if that was the only thing he'd ever done it would be quite enough to ensure that his passing, no matter how some might decry us mourning people we never even knew on a personal level, registers with me as another part of my past slipping further away and as the world losing another talented individual, one that happened to come from a talent-heavy family.

Rest in peace, Mr Carradine. And Kwai Chang Caine.

This was sad..but interesting
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/06/05/carradine.death/index.html#cnnSTCVideo