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EXIT THE DRAGON
:
BRUCE LEE
40 YEARS ON
round 9pm, 20th July 1973, a panicked call was
placed to Raymond Chow by small-time actress
Betty Ting-Pei. She explained that she could not
wake the man in her apartment. When Chow
arrived, he found the martial arts star unconscious and barely
breathing.
He was dead before he reached the hospital.
Ting explained later that he had complained of a headache
and had taken Equagesic to relieve the pain and had napped
since 7.30pm. He never woke up.
Doctors later stated that it was “death by misadventure”. To
be precise, his brain had swollen due to an allergy to the
painkiller. His death was followed with disbelief by millions
around the world. Recalling that night 40 years later, Ting
evokes the shock of so many on hearing of his death.
“I was only 26. The person who said he was the healthiest man
on Earth suddenly died in front of me. I could not take it,” she
said.
Bruce Lee only made six films. But his name, his face and even
his philosophies on life, have become cultural landmarks. His
death at 32 whipped up a fury of rumours, but in a way, it also
cemented his legend as an icon.
26 • Touchline • Issue 17
BY TIMOTHY MOTTRAM
A