On June 4, 2009, veteran actor David Carradine was found dead in a hotel in
Bangkok, Thailand, under mysterious circumstances. He was completely naked,
with a rope tied around his neck and another around his genitals.
Background.
John Arthur Carradine was born on December 8, 1936, in Los Angeles,
California, United States. Carradine’s childhood is known to have been
turbulent. In the book "Endless Highway", he recounts that he grew up in
various dysfunctional homes with alcoholic parents and even contemplated
suicide at the age of 5.
Known in the film industry as David Carradine, he was an American actor,
best known for his work on the 1972 television series “Kung Fu” and the 2002
and 2003 films “Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2” by Quentin Tarantino. He was a
member of the Carradine acting family, which began with his father, John
Carradine.
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| David Carradine and John Carradine. |
A prolific “B” movie actor, David Carradine appeared in more than 100 films
over a career spanning more than six decades. He received Golden Globe and
Emmy Award nominations for his work on “Kung Fu” and earned three additional
Golden Globe nominations for his performances in the Woody Guthrie biopic
“Bound for Glory” (1976), the television miniseries “North and South”
(1985), and Quentin Tarantino's film "Kill Bill: Volume 2," for which he won
the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor.
In addition to his acting career, Carradine was a director and musician. His
role as “Kung Fu” had such a profound influence on him that he took up
martial arts. On April 1, 1997, Carradine received a star on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame. Over the course of his life, he was married five times.
The Strange Death.
On Thursday, June 4, 2009, a housekeeping employee at the Park Nai Lert
Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, knocked several times on the door of Room 352,
where 72-year-old David Carradine was staying during the filming of his
latest movie, “Stretch,” directed by French filmmaker Charles de Meaux.
Assuming the room was unoccupied, the woman did not hesitate to enter, only
to discover the actor’s naked body hanging from a closet rod, with his neck
and penis bound by nylon cords.
The film's production was in shock. Although it appeared that Carradine had
committed suicide, there was no indication that he was depressed. On the
night of his death, he had a double brandy, played the piano in the hotel
lobby, and went up to his room, skipping dinner with the film crew.
Pol Col Sonmprasong Yentuam, chief of the Bangkok Police Department,
described the scene he encountered the following morning:
"There was no trace of fighting in the room and the room was locked from
inside. There were no bruises on the body, and because he is a big man it
would be difficult to murder him and move his body."
The sensationalism didn't take long to emerge following the tragic news. “Hung
Fu!” read the headline in the New York Post, while the Mexican newspaper
“Pásala” commented, "Qué muerte tan jalada" (“What a far-fetched death”).
Carradine's widow and his fourth ex-wife shared their opinions. Annie
Bierman, the widow, filed a lawsuit against MS2, the film's production
company, for breach of contract and wrongful death. She claimed that on the
night of June 3, her husband had dinner with the film's director, Charles de
Meaux, and that no one had gone looking for him despite his absence.
Marina Anderson, Carradine's fourth wife, speculated about a possible
murder:
"I believe he was targeted by somebody who entered the room uninvited. Or
maybe he got bored and brought someone to the room. I don't believe he was
alone. He didn't do things by himself when he was with me. David liked
participation."
Cause of death.
Although local media reported that the actor had committed suicide by
hanging himself in his room, his agent later claimed that the death had been
due to natural causes. Which was a lie.
Following an investigation and the autopsy of Carradine’s body, Porntip
Rojanasunan, a medical examiner with the Thai Ministry of Justice, upheld
the theory that it was an autoerotic accident. According to the medical
examiner, Carradine died on June 3, 2009, from accidental self-inflicted
asphyxiation, which he had intended to use to increase his sexual arousal
during masturbation:
"It's not suicide or murder but he died... after masturbation."
Thai newspapers reported that a woman's wig, a red garter belt, pornographic
photos, and other erotic lingerie had been found in the fateful Room 352.
The theory was that the actor used them during his intimate activities. In
addition, photos of Carradine’s body on a forensic stretcher were leaked, as
well as another photo, published by the local newspaper “Thai Rath,” in
which he appeared hanging from the closet in his hotel room. Although the
photograph was dark, explicit details of the death scene and other physical
characteristics of the actor, such as the tattoos on his lower body, were
visible. Discoloration of the skin on his lower limbs was also apparent,
indicating that he had been dead for several hours before being found.
Outraged, the family filed another lawsuit and requested the FBI’s
intervention.
On June 11, Michael Baden, a medical examiner hired by the Carradines,
performed a second autopsy and confirmed that the actor had not committed
suicide, although he added that the local police’s lack of cooperation
prevented him from obtaining enough information to reach precise conclusions
about the cause of death.
A year later, Carradine's fourth wife, Marina Anderson, published a book
revealing that Carradine enjoyed fetishism and bondage, although she
clarified that this did not apply to his masturbation.
Funeral.
On Saturday, June 13, 2009, the actor’s remains were laid to rest in the
cemetery in Los Angeles, the city where he lived. About 400 people attended
the event, including actors Tom Selleck, Jane Seymour, Daryl Hannah, and
Lucy Liu. The ceremony was guarded by security personnel, who ensured that
only invited guests were present.
Conspiracy theory.
A few days after the actor's death, the Carradine family's attorney, Mark
Geragos, gave an interview to Larry King, in which he put forward a new
theory. According to Geragos, David Carradine was murdered by members of a
secret society linked to martial arts because he was about to reveal their
clandestine activities.
However, the theory of a botched erotic game gained traction when the Thai
newspaper reported that Carradine was found wearing a woman's wig and a
garter belt, and that erotic photographs and red lingerie were found in the
hotel room.
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