Martial arts legend Bruce Lee was a household name as he brought the world of kung fu to families everywhere. His smart moves were a playground staple and he became a cult hero with many experts believing he was the most influential martial artist of all time..
So when he died suddenly almost 50 years ago at the age of just 32 a string of rumours of the cause of his death sprung up. There were claims he had been assassinated by Chinese gangsters, the involvement of triads and even him being the victim of a curse.
Medical experts said there were no visible external injury however the autopsy reports showed his brain had swollen considerably. It was reported that doctors blamed this on him taking a painkiller which they said could have caused an allergic reaction.
However researchers have taken a fresh look at the evidence surrounding his death and they believe they could have found a totally different answer. They say the star - who made famous the phrase "be water, my friend" - died from drinking too much water.
Writing in the Clinical Kidney Journal scientists have told of how they looked at Lee's autopsy results and say they believe he died from hyponatraemia. They wrote: "The cause of death is unknown, although numerous hypotheses have been proposed, from assassination by gangsters to the more recent suggestion in 2018 that he died from heatstroke."
But they added: "We now propose, based on an analysis of publicly available information, that the cause of death was cerebral oedema due to hyponatraemia. In other words, we propose that the kidney’s inability to excrete excess water killed Bruce Lee."
The report says the star had a number of risk factors for the health problem which could have included high fluid intake. He also admitted openly of his consumption of marijuana, which can also increase thirst.
On the day of his death he had a headache and dizziness which came on after drinking water. He took a painkiller and went for a lie down.
He was later found unresponsive and despite attempts to revive him he was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
An autopsy found no signs of external injuries. However his brain weighed 1,575g compared with a normal 1,400g. Traces of marijuana were found in the stomach.
His death was officially ruled to be the result of cerebral oedema (brain swelling) caused by hypersensitivity to the painkiller he had taken for his headache. However the authors of the latest study say they looked a range of potential causes of death including epilepsy, heatstroke and the potential for the original cause of death to be correct.
And after examining the evidence they said: "In conclusion, 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 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."
Calling for action to raise awareness of the potential danger of drinking too much water they added: "Given that hyponatraemia is frequent, as is found in up to 40% of hospitalized persons and may cause death due to excessive water ingestion even in young healthy persons, there is a need for a wider dissemination of the concept that excessive water intake can kill.
"The fact that we are 60% water does not protect us from the potentially lethal consequences of drinking water at a faster rate than our kidneys can excrete excess water.
"Ironically, Lee made famous the quote ‘Be water my friend’, but excess water appears to have ultimately killed him."
Lee was born on November 27, 1940 and was a child actor, however these early films did not involve martial arts. He first appeared as a martial arts fighter on TV when he was 26.
He created his own combat method that he called Jeet Kune Do or the Way of the Intercepting Fist, which combined different training methods such as kung fu, fencing, boxing and philosophy. He died just weeks before the release of Enter The Dragon - the first major Western-produced kung fu film.
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