Hollywood legend Bruce Lee might have died from drinking too much water, scientists have claimed almost 50 years after the Kung Fu star passed away.
The martial arts expert and Hollywood icon died in Hong Kong in 1973, aged just 32.
An autopsy at the time revealed Bruce's cause of death was brain swelling, which doctors blamed on the effects of a painkiller.
However, scientists now think there could be another explanation.
Researchers have revealed the actor may have died from hyponatraemia, which causes sodium in the body to become diluted from drinking too much water.
An imbalance causes cells in the body to swell – including ones in the brain.
"In other words, we propose that the kidney’s inability to excrete excess water killed Bruce Lee," the medics wrote in the Clinical Kidney Journal.
The study claims Bruce had multiple risk factors for hyponatraemia, including drinking a lot of liquid, using cannabis — which can cause dehydration — as well as other stimulants that can weaken the kidneys, such as prescription drugs and alcohol.
The star's wife Linda revealed how Bruce had a liquid-based diet of carrot and apple juice before he died.
Matthew Polly, who wrote the biography Bruce Lee, A Life – which was released in 2018 – also referred to a large ingestion of water on the evening of the actor's death.
The Clinical Kidney Journal's study concluded: "We hypothesize that Bruce Lee died from a specific form of kidney dysfunction: the inability to excrete enough water to maintain water homeostasis, which is mainly a tubular function.
"This may lead to hyponatraemia, cerebral oedema (brain swelling) and death within hours if excess water intake is not matched by water excretion in urine, which is in line with the timeline of Lee’s demise."
The researchers noted that because Bruce's consumption of water was mentioned in the lead up to his death – when it is 'such a commonplace activity' – it was likely 'noticeably higher' than it should have been on the day he passed away.
The actor's death was shrouded in mystery in 1973, with rumours that Bruce had been assassinated by Chinese gangsters, poisoned by a jealous lover, or even fallen victim to a curse all in circulation.
Bruce is considered by many to be the most influential martial artist of all time and a pop culture icon of the 20th century and credited with helping to change the way Asians were presented in American films.
The star had two children, Brandon and Shannon.
Tragically, Brandon was killed aged 31 when he was filming The Crow after a revolver was accidentally loaded with live ammunition on set.
