top of page

Introduction

    A 32year-old man from San Francisco, California, a famous “Chinese American-born film actor who was renowned for his martial arts prowess and who helped popularize martial arts movies in the 1970s.”, and film decorator, who was diagnosed with cerebral edema, died upon arrival in Hong Kong exactly right after meeting with Betty Ting Pei (Augustyn). On July 20, 1973 “That night, Lee had visited the apartment of Betty Ting Pei, a Taiwanese actress who later admitted that she had an intimate relationship with Lee” (Gaspar). Since then, several conspiracy theories have developed:  

  1. Did Bruce Lee really die from cerebral edema? 

  1. Was he killed by Chinese Mafias? 

  1. Was he killed by the hands of his lover Betty Ting Pei? 

    Let us examine Bruce Lee, the conspiracy theories of his mysterious death, and the likelihood that he could have been killed by his lover Betty Ting Pei.  

Character Analysis

​

    Bruce Lee was a popular man during his lifetime. He was a famous Chinese American actor who was in perfect physical shape. “Bruce Lee is a film and martial arts legend known for his lightning-quick fighting style, his grunts and facial expression he made while fighting, his pithy philosophical statements, and more” (Allen 1). According to Allen, “When he was seventeen years old, he won a boxing tournament put on by twelve Hong Kong schools even though he had no formal training in boxing” (1).  

    Lee was an incredibly talented and energetic man in his martial art skills. He was a talented “American-born film actor who was renowned for his martial arts prowess and who helped popularize martial arts movies in the 1970s” (Augustyn). Bruce appeared at the tournament as “Kato” and demonstrated his one-inch punch and two-finger push-ups” (Silverlyhat) in 1967. The martial art skill that he had demonstrated shocked many people who saw it because it was a never seen martial art skill. Lee was said to be known as, “a man of intense energy, with huge ambitions, who pushed his body farther than it ever wanted to go in order to reach new heights. He sadly died at a young age, leaving the world wondering what else he would have accomplished if he was given more time” (1). 

    Though Bruce Lee was a talented and popular actor, he was also an incredibly wise man. He has said many quotes in his life that could inspire many people in their life. His quotes are not only inspiring, but they also hit deep into one’s mindset. One quote said by Bruce Lee that would hit deep was when he talked about being like water: “Be formless, shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend” (Sager 2). Another one of his quotes that hit deep was when he talked about time; “If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of” (2). These quotes were not just empty words said to appease others; they were words that he had thought long and hard about, and it was something that he could truly connect with.  

Conspiracy Theories 

      There are several conspiracy theories shrouding Bruce Lee’s death. In the first conspiracy, cerebral edema was found in Bruce Lee’s brain (Gaspar 1). Cerebral edema is a condition where fluid is built up around the brain (1). The doctors who work at Hong Kong Baptist Hospital diagnosed him with cerebral edema when he collapsed suddenly during a film session (1). During that time, doctors had prescribed him with medication to reduce the swelling, but it wasn’t the last of his health complications that would soon lead to his death (1). Even with the medications Bruce Lee still complained about the major headaches that he continued to have(1). Because of the unbearable headaches that he was suffering from, “Ting gave him the painkiller Equagesic as a remedy” (1). After taking the painkillers “Lee took a nap, but never woke up” (1). Thus, making it believed that he died due to cerebral edema, which finally got him and ended his life.  

      The second conspiracy is Lee being killed by Chinese Mafias. Bruce Lee was said to have had some sort of connection with The Triads because his father was a member of the Royal Hong Kong Police. With Lee’s father being a member of the Royal Hong Kong Police and how talented Lee was at Kung Fu, the Chinese Mafia didn’t want him to come to the United States of America to teach his Kung Fu to others (AJ 2). Lee was also said to have been in fights with members of the Chinese Mafia (Parkes 3). The Chinese Mafia spiked his drink with poison thus killing him, and later used their connections to have the movie “The Fury” with Bruce Lee in it pulled from theaters and destroyed all copies of the film (3). 

      The third conspiracy is how Bruce Lee was killed by his mistress Betty Ting Pei. Betty Ting Pei was one of the very few acquaintances who was last seen with Bruce Lee. It was said that “Lee had visited the apartment of Betty Ting Pei, a Taiwanese actress, who later admitted that she had an intimate relationship with Lee” (Gaspar), before his death. Ting gave him painkillers Equagesic as a remedy for the headaches that were tormenting him. After taking the painkillers, “Ambulances were called, but they declared that Bruce Lee was dead on arrival” (1). There are still many people who blame Betty Ting Pei for Lee’s death, believing that she was working for a secret society that wanted Lee’s death and that to do so she had poisoned him (Space 4). 

      All three conspiracies is about Bruce Lee. Since Betty Ting Pei was affiliated with The Triads and knew of The Chinese Mafia, it is proof that both could have been the cause of Lee’s death (Parkes). Combining the fact that Bruce Lee fought with members of The Chinese Mafia and was talented in Kung Fu, shows proof and evidence that Lee was a threat to the Chinese Mafia. Proving and giving reasons why they would have wanted Mr. Lee’s death. 

Conspiracy Theories

Conclusion

      Bruce Lee is a man who is known as the most influential martial artist of all time (Villalvazo). The 32year-old “Chinese American-born film actor who was renowned for his martial arts prowess” (Augustyn). His death developed into three conspiracy theories:  

  1. Did Bruce Lee really die from cerebral edema? 

  1. Was he killed by Chinese Mafias? 

  1. Was he killed by the hands of his lover Betty Ting Pei? 

      Although numerous pieces of evidence point to Betty Ting Pei as Bruce Lee’s killer, the other mysterious actions that were accorded to Bruce Lee remain unsolved.  

Work Cited

 AJ. The Mysterious Death of Bruce Lee: Was He Poisoned by the Chinese Mafia ... 10 Oct. 2022, https://asianjournalusa.com/the-mysterious-death-of-bruce-lee-was-he-poisoned-by-the-chinese-mafia/

​

Allen, Michael. “43 Fascinating Facts about Bruce Lee.” Medium, The NonFiction Zone, 20 Oct. 2016, https://medium.com/the-nonfiction-zone/43-fascinating-facts-about-bruce-lee-381ff6f236a2#:~:text=Bruce%20Lee%20is%20a%20film%20and%20martial%20arts,and%20brought%20Kung%20Fu%20into%20Western%20popular%20culture

​

 Augustyn, Adam. “Bruce Lee.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 12 Oct. 2009, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bruce-Lee

​

 Gaspar, Clara. “How Did Bruce Lee Die? Cause of Death Revealed.” The US Sun, The US Sun, 2 Sept. 2020, https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/1407324/bruce-lee-cause-of-death-revealed-mysterious-the-dragon/

​

 Parkes, Douglas. “Did an Ancient Chinese Curse Kill Bruce Lee? 6 Conspiracy Theories.” South China Morning Post, 20 July 2021, https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3141681/what-killed-bruce-lee-triads-jealous-lover-ancient

​

 Sager, Jessica. “62 Bruce Lee Quotes to Inspire You to Kick Butt, Maximize Your Potential and Be 'like Water' - Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays.” Parade, Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays, 13 May 2021, https://parade.com/1198983/jessicasager/bruce-lee-quotes/

​

 Space, Admin Bugged. “How Did Bruce Lee Die? the Sad Truth behind the Death of a Legend.” Bugged Space, 28 Nov. 2020, https://www.buggedspace.com/bruce-lee-death-true-story/#:~:text=It%20is%20believed%20that%20Betty%20Tine%20Pei%20was,so%20in%20avid%20to%20this%20they%20killed%20him

​

 Villalvazo, Priscila, et al. “Who Killed Bruce Lee? the Hyponatraemia Hypothesis.” Clinical Kidney Journal, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 10 Mar. 2022, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9664576/

bottom of page