Thank you so much for the tremendous support on this video - I offer some updates on my recent podcast episode. ua-cam.com/video/olyS2_YXEqM/v-deo.html BTW: "M Pills" most likely it's mescaline or MDMA, either way there are too many comments on it to matter at this point. And yes I know psilocybin is not a designer drug. Chill peeps. Also the papers are actual stationary - Bob Baker worker for a paper company and apparently provided Bruce with stationary. Enjoy! The KFG
Is it possible that somebody forged the letters about drugs on the note that the writing is sloppy? That's a bug coincidence that only those letters are sloppy
@@janemueller653 possible but very unlikely. I've read Tao of Jeet Kune Do. His text is legible, but his writing in his illustrations, while easy to read, is just as sloppy. Even the most profound of writers have shitty handwritting so it doesn't surprise me.
I respect what he did, his archivements, contributions and how he inspired a whole generation. But at the end of the day, he was just a human being and had his demons like everybody else. Don't judge.
@@moehoward8691 I'm a Bruce Lee fan, but that doesn't mean that I worship him or anyone else and saying that he was mediocre is absurd. Have you ever read books about him regarding his background and training methods? Have you read or watched interviews from his former students like Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Dan Inosanto, etc. and listened to what they had to say about him?
and what did you create? did you create a new philosophy? a new martial art? did you make a movie? or you only know how to eat donuts or a way to inspire new parrots? Bruce Lee was what he was, with strengths and weaknesses like everyone else. unlike you who nobody knows, lolol go back to your cave lol
@@moehoward8691 Admiration and hero worship aren’t the same thing, but I have to admit that some of my peers in the Bruce Lee community definitely are fanatics.
@@Kthomasritchie The Lee estate tried their best for 50 years to make him look like a saint. I’m glad we now have more knowledge of how he was more like the rest of us. I know people who use coke and other substances yet function at an extremely high level. You never know.
“Don’t focus on the finger or you’ll miss all of the heavenly glory.” I’ve often thought this applied to people too. All of the Martial inspiration you get from Bruce Lee isn’t changed by these letters.
Despite the drug use, Bruce took care of himself and his family and he had his shit together. He was one of the most inspirational Martial artist of all time
@trumpisthemessiah7017 Bruce won fights in the streets of Hong Kong with no rules. These fights were illegal and known as "Beimo" One of his teachers (Wong Sheung Leung) was also a good fighter which gave him the name "king of the talking hands" While other martial artists fought in tournaments & competitions - he fought for real in the rough streets with gangs ;)
But he was a Coke head. This is what this video has to contribute to the legacy of Bruce. I love Bruce & I wanna know it all. He was human. He was creative. He created his own Martial Art!!! He was original,....& he did COKE. BTW thanks to Hollywood pressure, anybody would do COKE. Its Escapism! To be honest, these days, I think its worst. I wouldn't want the gig. He will live Forever!!!
Only thing it changes for me is the thought that this played a role in his demise. We lost out on so much more he could have given the world as a result of a drug habit. Not to mention Brandon and Shannon not having him around growing up. It's all still a huge tragedy.
Yupp, he died pretty young. But he got to be a beloved celebrity before the internet, too. Plus he had kids and banged abroad as well. And presumably/hopefully he had some fun with all those drugs, and the friendships. All in all, a short but extraordinarily impressive ride. Can't be too greedy.
Is there some evidence that drugs played a role in Bruce's demise? Just because he used doesn't mean that killed him. Polly's book made a strong case that Bruce died of a heat stroke.
@@SeisanStncJust so you know that. If you're using that kind of substance heat stroke is probably your number one risk for fatality... It's not a heart attack it's not a stroke... It's straight up overheating... That can manifest itself in many ways, but it wouldn't have happened if your heat was not burning so hot, so those things are not mutually exclusive... For example, somebody I used to know. Would just dip themselves in a cold water bath every hour or two just to Is keep going Because It would feel like you got sleep literally according to them...
@@theduckfromthejoke152 that's interesting and I didn't know that. We should also probably consider, though, the fact that Bruce had the sweat glands removed from his armpits recently prior to his death, which would have impeded his body's ability to cool itself. I am not dismissing your point, but it is interesting that his passing out in the film room and subsequent death weeks or months later only happened after that surgery. One has to wonder why the (possible) heat stroke happened after -- and only after -- that surgery, and not during those prior years of drug use. It could have been a compound effect, but it seems possible that it could have happened without drugs, too. According to multiple sources, Bruce struggled with heat since he was a baby.
This takes nothing away from the man, it only makes him stronger, more human. Achieving what he did by the age of 32 is unprecedented and will never be replicated. RIP my friend
Of course it takes nothing from the man, if anything it adds more to him. I am thinking of taking up cocaine since I found out Bruce taking it, it seems drugs do help lift Consciousness to a higher level if taken in moderation.
@@TheTraveler2222 you have to be trolling. bruce did shrooms and LSD as well as Weed. cocaine is what did him in, as well as in combination of all of that mixed together and hash. don't fuck with coke man.
I've been a fan since the day I watched a Green Hornet show in 1968...I was four years old...and it is one of the first memories in my life... I lost my father around that time, and I hanged on The Martial Artist as a father figure... I grew up in the streets of Mexico City, getting into troubles, but looking after my health and training because I wanted to be like my surrogate 'father'... Me and my friends watched Bruce Lee's films, and trained to be like him... I survived the streets, and keep myself healthy and away from drugs because of Bruce's inspiration... I still train and watch his movies, finding in The Master a skill level unmatched by anyone anywhere... While shocking, these letters only help to understand his untimely death, and put a human perspective to an otherwise 'superhuman' figure that served as surrogate father and as beacon of light in the life of a fatherless young Mexican boy...
Back injuries are no joke. It makes the best people struggle to function in everyday life. I can only imagine the amount of pressure BL was under to succeed in his field. Definitely was blessed to have lifelong friends who were able to offer him support and love. I think today we are so much more aware that celebrities are just regular human beings who have the same struggles and challenges that everyday folks have. It in no way diminishes my opinion of him.
Huge Bruce lee fan! Surprising?? Not all, different time and place. Everybody was at it, plus the circles he ran in. Doesn’t take anything away from him. Does Elvis or the Rolling Stones or sugar ray leonard or Diego Maradona become less of a legend beside of it? No. He was human. Had his flaws like everyone. Up the little dragon. Greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪
He's not a junkie, definitely. Medical Science in the 70s can't help his spine problems. I believe he took all that rather than taking painkiller pills which he knows can harm him more. Rest In Peace Bruce Lee. Gone But Not Forgotten.
"He's not a junkie" thank God your not a person that is has some authority over other human beings, i hope not lol.even after everything is spelt out in blk&white you say otherwise. state of human beings in the youtube and mental health era.. maybe u shulda start sniffing a few lines yourself.He's not a junkie,LOL. **did u even watch the video? fucking clown
Bruce was a human being. And soooooo many of us d”denied him his humanity” by building him up to be this paragon of virtue this iconic martial arts godlike figure. But it turns out he was human just like the rest of us.
It doesn’t change my admiration of him. It only makes him more human. Also, the dangers of extended cocaine use were not known until young people started dropping dead in the 1980s. It may have a major bearing on why he died. Thanks for the podcast. You always deliver balanced and informative Bruce information. I thought I knew a lot about Bruce but I’m a rank amateur compared to you.
Thank you, I totally agree with it not changing much. I wanted to be the first on UA-cam to discuss this at any length, and I wanted to make sure that it was even handed.
@@TheKungFuGenius I’m also glad you jumped on this. The “he was just an actor” and the “he was a demi-god” crowds will be throwing up a bunch of noise very soon. It’s good to have someone from the much smaller “he was an extraordinary and accomplished human being” group defining the argument early.
Looking back through history it is incredibly hard to find a successful artist/author of any kind that did not use alcohol or drugs to create their masterpiece(s). On top of that, he was in pain because of the injury and of course under a great deal of stress to stay in the business that he loved, to continue being successful, and to provide for his family. During the last years of his life for sure the weight of being an idol (not just a movie star, but also a martial artist and an inspiration for anyone to do their best in whatever they do) contributed to the situation. I just found out he was close with Polanski and his wife, so after she got famously and brutally killed, he got scared and paranoid for his own life as well as the life of his family. To me, it's obvious he found a way to cope with the use of drugs. Which just makes him more human, not a superhero we grew up with.
I knew that Bruce Lee ingested cannabis, but this is all new to me. I'm a huge Bruce Lee fan, and this doesn't affect my opinion of him one bit. Everyone makes mistakes and has their faults, and that is just part of being human. People who are famous are no different. I think near the end of his life Bruce was just strung out, and this is how he dealt with his problems.
Plus it was a big Hollywood thing and sex stimulus ect. But if this us true ,hey Bruce Lee was like you said a human and subject to faults. We all knew about the cannabis and hashish and I personally believe Bruce Lee was Unipolar Manic the opposite of Bipolar Manic Depression. A person can be Unipolar Manic or Unipolar Depressed.
@@TheKungFuGenius Bruce Lee had a mental illness called Unipolar Manic and its not uncommon for genius like Bruce, especially when you hear about him being full of energy all the time on the set of The Green Hornet TV shooting. He is a great martial arts and years ahead of him contemporaries with training and understanding ,plus remember Arnold Swatzannegger user that drug also and he said in his book the Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding. And yes his wife wanted that insurance bag. So she wanted him in the ground as soon as possibly after he died so as not to blow the policy's with negative finding of drugs.
For me It makes things make sense. The legend was that of an extremely health conscious man suddenly dying. A death swirled in mystery. A curse? A vendetta? "There goes my hero watch him as he goes. There goes my hero, he's ordinary. " Bruce was far from ordinary but at the end of the day he was human. An amazing complex human. Just like the rest of us. I still hold him in the same high regard.
The drugs didn´t help him to become the greatest of all time. His own trainingmethods and willingness to suffer to get to the top is responsible for that. The Little Dragon continues to be great and to inspire people.
Has Bruce Lee's contributed something to your life? For me I got involved in the martial arts and sport. Many hours of repeat viewings of his films His influence in other areas of my life. But I am much older now and long realised my childhood/young adult hero was only human. I can very fondly remember his positive influence on my life. Now I can look at this other area of his life to get a wider picture of his life. Thank you Bruce Lee for your impact on my life.
Yes, before I knew him I trained boxing and Lethwei/Muay Thai. Then after seeing his movies, I like him and learnt Karate, Kung Fu, Judo, Aikido, Kendo etc. And now, no more his influence. Because I've grown up and I know the fantasy and reality.
Bruce Lee was, and still is, one of my idols. I look up to and admire him. Alot of us in the martial arts community were introduced to this way of life thru his movies. But let's not forget..when all is said and done..Bruce Lee was still just a human being, just like everyone else.
Hearing these letters red makes me feel a tremendous sadness for Bruce. He seems so isolated and under stress. It’s clear that his addictions have gotten the best of him as he was becoming more on the drugs he needed and also the sizes of the shipments
Don't change my opinion on this Icon , He helped me as a shy kid very introverted. He helped me be strong and started working out and taking classes. His influence on me will forever be with me.
To quote Rick James, "Cocaine's a hell of a drug." Bruce Lee was the man he chose to be. Not those who were before him. Who he was, is not who we will be. A badass martial artist, a badass actor, and most of all, a badass human. He had flaws, but he still pushed forward.
@@corneilmadison8971 The 1970s were drugs heavy and don't get me started with the 1980s.. Everybody was on drugs back in those decades.. No shame in that.. I'm just glad people seen what harm they do now.. people didn't know back then..
@@kenrickkahn nah his daughter had letters of him asking a certain individual for prescription weed etc not cocain though, it wasn't cocain but he was on cannabis i think, she put the letters up for auction
@@corneilmadison8971 I have nothing against Marijuana.. The Native Americans smoked the plant and lived well into their 100s.. like Bruce's letters say *"It's that good stuff"*
The gossip rags in Hong Kong used to spell his name as “Li“ and it drove him absolutely crazy. He always preferred the more Anglicized “LEE“. Also once he became famous he referred to himself as Lee Siu Lung and not by Lee Jun Fan.
Yeah, because eating LSD like there is no tomorrow will help you alot with back pain lmao... he was a junkie, simple as that. You dont use cocaine for pains, it is a bad drug for muscular pains.. guess why?...
....it was the steroids that bounced him to super human status...im so sure he found it not only took his back pain away...but it streamlined his physique to superman!
Imagine how scary life would be. You are going broke, you have a wife and 2 kids to support and you just suffered a major back injury that means you cannot be a man of the house as you are laying on your back all day for the better part of 6 months and the bills are piling up. Could you blame any man for needing some pain and stress relief in a situation like that to ease his pain and perhaps his ego? That is how this sort of thing starts and spirals out of control. This is reality.
@@TheKungFuGenius Its all relative I think. A lot of athletes in football (The American kind) usually start with the pain relief stuff first, Vicodin and whatnot. Then the hard stuff comes into play to help with the stress. Then its all down hill from there.
This is indeed a mind bender for us die hard Bruce Lee fans. Part of me thinks these letter should have been burned and never seen the light of day and part of me is relieved with curiosities satisfied about certain aspects of his life and death. We really shouldn’t be surprised, he was, after all, exactly what he wished to be thought of “A Human Being” who was continuously evolving. The revelations of the personal lives of icons is nothing new today. If this was turning into a problem for him, Im sure he would have eventually ended up in a detox clinic or did it himself. When we are young, many of us abuse our bodies with substances, be it cigarettes, alcohol or anything else. Perhaps he saw it as a way to maintain focus and energy levels. Whatever the case might be, he only did harm to himself. Involving the butler seems to be more of a cultural thing that would be accepted. Why now? Baker obviously coveted these letters and made sure that they could be easily discovered by his family. Maybe he could later use them as collateral or for blackmail or some kind of protection? Were the letters first revealed to the Lee family for consideration? I have watched Shannon Lees “Family Reunion” series and it struck me as strange and odd that she had to literally personally reach out to relatives like cousins and uncles whom she hadn’t spoken to for years and sometimes decades. The interviews were unexpectedly a bit awkward and clumsy as if there was a really good reason they had not been in contact for all those years. Were these family members already aware of this problem that Bruce and Linda had? It all makes perfect sense to me. I have always truly suspected Linda Lee of having an agenda and alterior motives for the things she said and did immediately after Bruce Lees death. The initial lie that he had died at home to try and avoid the loss of face and out right scandal of him passing in Betty Ting Peis apartment, the moving of the corpse outside of China, initially the reason being so that his children would be able to visit, but maybe so there could be no exhumation of the body under Chinese authority for further testing. Her calling for speculation and inquiry to stop! Her insistence that we “Focus on how Bruce lived and not how he died”, it all points a great deal back to her trying to protect his image, his legacy, his children and herself. Who could blame her? She certainly had the cooperation of everyone else. There is one thing though, Betty Ting-Pei revealed in an recent interview that ‘The truth” about how Bruce Lee died would one day be revealed. What truth could that possibly be? During that interview she stated he also had a heart condition that was kept very quiet. Its already been revealed that he had suffered a seizure while working on Enter The Dragon. By all accounts, when he went to back to the US to get a complete medical check-up trying to find the cause of the seizure,( which surely didn’t include an illicit drug screen)he was given a clean bill of health and was told at 32, that he had the body of an 18 year old. This was pretty self evident. Another person, Fred Weintraub stated that once he became famous, “Bruce changed in ways that many change after they become successful” he seemed to be referring to the understandable increase in paranoia that fame can bring on to many. Did he also know about the cocaine likely fueling the paranoia? That whole cocaine-paranoia-gun scenario reminds me of Marvin Gaye, who also had a serious cocaine problem and had purchased several firearms for protection. The one that he gave to his father, was eventually used by his father to kill him. I believe that he used cannabis not to just get high but as a very effective pain medication for his chronic back pain. That being said, it seems logical that the “M” substance he might have been referring to could have been Morphine. Maybe not. The cocaine usage is understandable. During the filming of Enter The Dragon, It was reported that Bruce Lee would be the first one on the set in the morning and the last one to leave in the evening and then would re-write and choreograph into the wee hours of the morning while also still training his body. That is an incredible feat to pull off for months without something to stimulate you. Coffee and tea aint gonna get that job done. Cocaine at that time as I remember was a strange and exotic substance that would be fairly expensive and exclusive. It was for the rich, the rich who even knew about it. Its apparent he was using it and would scribble off these notes to Baker when the realization he was running low or running out hit him. Perhaps Linda would step in with her letters when Bruce was unable to or felt some kind of fleeting shame? Only Linda knows. One thing is for sure, this is not anything unusual for the time period. I am a child of the 1960s. As I see more and more of the icons of my childhood have their most intimate and personal life details get exposed to the public, I become more aware that we are all spiritual beings having a human experience on this planet we call Earth. I think that the host of this channel showed a remarkable amount of courage to post this along with some copies of the various letters. I am still processing these revelations and I am sure that more things will start to make sense. One thing that is for certain is that Linda Lee, who is still alive and well, could step forward and either confirm these things or go into silence mode. Either way, she might be up for charges of insurance fraud and perjury, and that is a very unpleasant contemplation. You don’t mess with Lloyds Money. It could get really nasty from here on. I will never lose respect for Bruce Lee. He was an incredible human being who was under tremendous amount of pressure who responded with the most incredible shift in action movies that there has ever been. I sincerely admire his daughter Shannon and what she has done and continues to do with his legacy and name brand and was a huge fan of his son Brandon as well. It would be very interesting if Linda Lee Cadwel would step forward and address this whole issue.
Bruce actually told One of the doctors, Dr Peter Wu, when he was admitted to the hospital the first time when he had fainted, that he was Chewing on Hashish leaf while he was doing some dubbing for Enter The Dragon right before he passed out, so that wasn't any secret. This Habit must have started in the late 60s when he was hanging around his Hollywood Circle and he must have found that it helped him relax and to de-stress from all the hard work he was putting into his Martial Arts and Film making. I do remember reading somewhere that he did comment on how these Subtances did give him a false sense of consciousness/awareness. What's interesting is that the Autopsy report did not state any other substances found in his body except the equagesic and the Hash, which implies to me that these other hard drugs were taken sparingly or they weren't sent as often to HK as these letters would imply.
@@TheKungFuGeniushe didn’t do coke in hong kong and only in la. He never did coke in Hong Kong and the coke didn’t kill him. By the way Bruce’s father was a serious opium addict so he knew about drugs and was around drugs his whole life
I don’t think it will, these letters and this video are over a year old and the Lee estate doesn’t seem to have changed course at all. They buried their heads in the sand and largely ignored this whole thing.
@trumpisthemessiah7017 he introduced martial arts to the world, opened the doors for all martial artist to this day from action movie stars to combat sports competitors. He originated the idea of taking elements from all types of martial arts styles that worked for him and combining them into his fitting. That was the whole idea he was trying to teach every martial artist to take in what works for them, discard what doesn’t and then add what is uniquely their own. That then later on evolved to what we know now as MMA. If it weren’t for Bruce Lee, there would be no MMA, there would be no UFC. Is that enough to tell you why he is and always will be remembered as a Legend? Or you still crying about him having no fight record?
@xcaliburmind just look at this troll’s handle and you know everything you need. He forgets that smart phones had awful video quality in the 60’s or that there was ZERO money in point karate in the 60’s and Bruce had a family to feed. “BrO I duN NeVeR SeEn BRuCe LeE FiGHt nOBuddy 🤡 The guy also says Bruce Lee didn’t do anything great but he thinks a multiple time failed business criminal is “the messiah”. No need to feed anonymous delusional cowards
To be honest, drugs can be seriously overrated sometimes. I've done some coke, marijuana, hasj and xtc recreationally in the past during experimental phase in my life and it really doesn't impact your life if you don't exaggerate and don't get addicted. One day I just didn't do it anymore and it doesn't change your life at all. I mean alcohol is consumed much more. People who don't do drugs fear it, but it's really not that special. But pity to hear bruce got some addiction, it was probably just that era. Doesn't take anything away from his accomplishments.
If you can find an old documentary called Death By Misadventure, check it out. The actual doctor who did the autopsy on Bruce said he didn’t die from any pain medication. They lied so that Linda could collect Bruce’s life insurance.
huge bruce lee fan...at the end of the day were all human ...even the legends and icons have their flaws...Bruce did damage his sacral nerve and dealt with consistent pain even after recovery so aside from the cortisol shots maybe this was his copping mechanism for stress ..still doesn't take away from his tremendous contribution to this world...much respect to your channel great stuff
Van damn was huge on Cocaine. It destroyed his career. I appreciate the way you addressed this bombshell. You did a great job making sense of it. You did it with respect and integrity. I agree with you about separating his skills and huge inspiration to the world from his bad personal habits. He’s still the greatest.
Thank you for doing this episode. As new and sometimes shocking information, like this, continues to pop up about Bruce Lee, it's important to address it honestly. We as fans are curious and want to talk about it and it was great to see the letters here , hear some of the backstory and get your views on it. You always approach things fairly and honestly and that's one of the reasons I love your podcast.
When I watched the movie Dragon the Bruce Lee story at the age of 14 I stopped hanging out with my trouble making friends and became more straight edge… and it felt good. I used Bruce as a roll model to keep me on the right path in my life. I just wished things like this would not not have been revealed because Bruce may not be the same type of roll model for future generations to come. We all have skeletons but people sometimes need that guy to keep them on the narrow path.
JFK was addicted to prescription speed/dexadrine & prescription painkillers like demerol & dilaudid. Dr Feelgood had most of Hollywood addicted to drugs.
Because I think Hollywood or some director want to destroy Bruce Lee’s reputation because of ENVY! . It all started by the Tarantino movie Once upon a time in Holly weird! Tarantino cannot accept Bruce is a legend n more n more Famous than him n any holly weird actors, because Bruce Lee is Asian Chinese!
@@chilli1115 But the problem is that our role models need to be larger than life and larger than human. Part of the success of Bruce Lee as a role model is that he was never defeated. If he had ever fought and lost people would say "yes of course he's human" but at the same time it would destroy his brand as a legend. This is probably why Bruce Lee himself never fought real matches, he knew that a loss would tarnish his brand.
Dude this is the opposite of click-bait, holy shit! 20 minutes of interesting but not sensationalized facts, then the handwriting starts to deteriorate, then BAM! Holy crap that's a lot of drugs, normal people don't buy hash oil by the ounce. But I absolutely get it, Bruce was absolutely on the spectrum: I'd guess he was prone to sustained hypomanic episodes which strongly mimic the effects of stimulant use. Excellent content, thanks.
The cocaine was probably the reason why in the Enter The Dragon he looked a little pale and tired compared to before. The weed and coke opened up his imagination. Also when Jacky Chan saw Bruce shortly before he died he said Bruce was just walking around alone and then went with him to watch him bowl and when he left he wanted to say something but then just got in the taxi. He knew his life was in threat now combine that with the drugs and it could make your mind worry about not being able to see his family anymore and so forth.
people blame Linda for the superhero image of Bruce but it started before that , in fact it started in '71 when Big Boss came out.....just look at the HK movie poster where Lee is portrayed as a superhero with endless energy , leaping across the screen......it pisses me off however that she lied all these yrs like she treated us as naive fools , its insulting and I wouldve respected the estate a lot more had she been honest about his death
What an amazing movie it would make to have an impressionable student hanging out with him for a day on the early ETD set. Strong, fast, excellent but also tired, stressed, arrogant and egotistical. A savage coke scene that everyone loses their mind over. Reminds me of the twilight zone where the Elvis impersonator goes back in time and meets Elvis. They hate each other so much they fight and Elvis dies.
Still processing this. I'll probably go through more emotions regarding this over the next couple of days. Ultimately, we all have to remember that these figures of history we put on pedestals weren't saints. Instead, they had very human flaws. That doesn't make them less of a person. Rather, it makes them real. Bruce was very forward thinking with martial arts and introduced positive philosophies that have affected so many. And he was a coke addict who was willing to pin his crimes on a butler. That's the reality. The question is which do you emphasize more? Which wins out in the end? I'm leaning towards one answer, but I'm still grappling with the other. I also want to say thank you to Sifu Alex for offering the context regarding Bruce's life. The pressures of persevering and maintaining success, that had to have a massive influence on anyone, let alone someone like Bruce.
In am one of Bruce Lee's greatest fans, I have followed he's life ever since 1973.this has not changed my admiration or respect in any way negatively. All it has for me ,it reminds me that he was a human being. To me me Bruce Lee shaped many of my personal characteristics. It made me us a boy learn many different systems of marital arts. Including Wing Chung. I am not old enough to have experienced the 60s and 70s .But I do know a lot of people who tell me Every one was experimenting at some level during that period. The fact to me is ,he was able to accomplish so much in such a short life . And I know ather Martial artists around the world, will agree with me ,when I say . Bruce is the King of Kung Fu. All my life I have read everything he wrote. And has even save my life. Any one that knows me . Knows what happened to me was no joke. But the warrior that Bruce planted in me lives . This letters show only that some people forget the word personal letters ,means Private. There will allways be some one trying to Cash in, At the expense of athers. But it will not have the effect that some heaters think it will. I stand loyal to Bruce's teachings philosophy and way of life. God bless he's soul. Yury Gomez ☯️.
He’s my childhood hero, I love him to death, unless some new revelation exposed him as Hong Kong’s Jack the Ripper. Now we see BL ‘s frailties, seems like every Superman has their krytonite. It doesn’t change my love for him. He’s still the most talented,respected, revered martial artist known to mankind. It’s been nearly half a century since his passing, and like Mozart- greatness is timeless. What it does teaches us is, even the best has their human frailties. Love always, and miss you Bruce! I’ll be in Seattle in a few days to pay my respects at Lakeview. It has always been on my bucket list.
@@TheKungFuGenius -thanks Alex, guess we’re all a little surprised, or shocked, but reality bites! As for your talents, and knowledge of the martial arts- one word- Sifu!
From what I understand- coke was nowhere near as taboo in the early 70s as it was later in the decade or the 80s, when the true nature of its abuse became clear. Probably why he never used coded words for it in the letters and probably why he didn't realise just how damaging these substances are for an athlete
He did a number of sketchy things. Drinking beef blood, electronic muscle stimulation, LSD, cortisone, ate hashish, mushrooms, anabolic steroids, diuretics, drank sake despite Linda saying he didn't touch alcohol, smoked grass and Chinese herbs.
Gives new meaning to don’t concentrate on the finger, meaning himself but where the finger is pointing. He is still my primary inspiration in martial arts
I'm not least bit suprised honestly. He was a mega star with all kinds of pressures, stress and physical alments. Bruce knew what was doing for the most part. But when combined with his brutal training and diet, other substances. I can also, see how it effected his health at the end. I personally can understand bruces struggle with substance use, even if it wasn't those exact same ones. So no. It doesnt change how i view him. If anything i can relate to it. He could've easily been on opioids, from his back pain but it didnt appear in the letters. This was also the '70s and it was pretty common at that time also. The man was in pain and clearly struggling at times, he was still only human. No one is perfect, not even legends like bruce lee.
I guess it just goes to show that we’re all human and we all have our issues and skeletons in the closet. We can judge all we want, but in the end, it was his life and I think it would be very difficult to dispute that he did it his way. Still the greatest and most charismatic martial artist I’ve ever seen. It further shows that everything has a price. May he rest in piece and i hope the Lee family doesn’t Cop a huge backlash from this. Excellent video too btw👍🏻
Why do you take a neutral stance? Why cant you just say what he did about using all these drugs was completely wrong, taking down with it his whole family...
Bruce is still the Man, we all have demons to conqueror. No one leaves this life unscathed. What he accomplished under those circumstances is extraordinary!
He had a drug issue, just makes him human if everything is accurate. This also was the 70's, a lot of people didn't know the full harm of hard drugs, i also wouldn't be surprised if he started because of the back pain alone. A lot of people in chronic pain are forced to get illegal drugs because the pharmaceutical industry is so bad. We saw this with other entertainers who were highly physically active. Prince, Michael Jackson to just a name a few.
You dont take thousands of LSD "papers" as he called them for back pains.. neither cocaine.. cocaine is pretty bad for muscular pains because it keeps the muscles in tension. Morphine is a drug for back pains, not coke. His cocaine habit had nothing to do with his back pains. Coke only works as an anestesic locally, so the coke would simply make his pains worse....
@@Trikipum anesthetic you mean, and no my distant friend you are wrong. In fact Morphine is semi-synthetic because it’s chemically manufactured but is derived from an alkaloid found in the opium poppy. Which is basically heroine, Which can act as a pain killer, i work in the medical field, also was born into a family in the medical field. I say that to say, i've worked with a lot of people who used weed, heroine, or coke as a pain killer they TRULY were not drug seekers. This is also you assuming he ONLY suffered from back pain. These tests are online, even tho drugs like cocaine can kill you they also have psychoactive properties that can distract one from the pain. You'd be surprised how many people are addicted to drugs for LEGIT pain but the medical industry failed them. There are tribes that use poppy for pain.
The 1970s were drugs heavy and don't get me started with the 1980s.. Everybody was on drugs back in those decades.. No shame in that.. I'm just glad people seen what harm they do now.. people didn't know back then..
First of all, I would like to thank you for the great podcast. I only discovered it a few weeks ago and I catch up on old episodes almost every day. I have now seen the video about the drug letters for the second time and would like to express my opinion. Because I do believe that Bruce Lee's addiction problem is medically based. Everyone knows about his back injury. Apparently there was a second one, or the old problem kept coming back. Apparently the pain remained. Bruce may have consumed cannabis to suppress the pain. That is also the reason why he needed the cannabis oil in such large quantities. Both are used in medicine today to treat pain. Also the M pills mentioned. For me, the M stands for morphine. Also an attempt to fight his pain. The disadvantage of both is that they make you very tired and exhausted. OK in the evening on the couch. But not really good for suppressing pain during training or filming. Now we come to cocaine. That also suppresses pain. But it makes you more alert, more euphoric and you get the impression that you are more capable. And all of this also increases your dependency. Bruce fought against his pain. His career was at stake and he might never have been able to practice martial arts again. As someone who had to give up his beloved Hung Gar because I developed osteoarthritis in my knees in my late 20s, I can really relate to it. Want a modern example? Look at all the old WWE wrestlers! Almost all of them are on painkillers and/or addicted to drugs. Their bodies are so broken that they can't stand it any other way. Why should Bruce Lee be an exception? After all, his purpose in life, martial arts, was at stake. Sorry for the long statement. Keep it up, your podcast is just great, I love it.
I’m really heartbroken because of this news Exposure, it’s tragic because Bruce in the final analysis… Did this to himself, and on July 20 1973 - life ceased to exist for BL. His life is a star that blaze brightly among the backdropped of other stars, but dim quickly because the fuel got used up rapidly, but that star is forever etched in history.
Like you i'm a life long Bruce fan, since the early 70's. I just visted his Bel Air home last week, as it was my first time visiting California (I live in Philly). Injuring his back, striving to achieve a level of international stardom no asian had ever experience, and dealing with the trappings of stardom. Like Prince, Michael Jackson, Elvis and so many others...it starts as an attempt to easy the pain. Then it becomes a real problem. Bruce Lee was just a normal human being, who trained himself into being a superman...yet he never lost sight of the fact that he was always just a normal human being. Thanks for sharing.
There were a number of things done by celebrities during those eras. Bruce was a philanderer and a drug user who was still in phenomenal physical shape and an excellent publicist who had to deal with gang/triad affiliation, racism amongst other things. I still like his work and innovation.
@thekungfugenius thanks for posting this I had no clue and I've been a fan since the '60s when he played on The Green Hornet way before he made any of his movies I'm that old LOL... It doesn't change my view on the guy I still admire him everyone has their problems his was drugs which is unfortunate because now that we know that is probably what killed him. I had a friend here who was a cocaine user he wasn't that old when he had the exact same thing Bruce Lee had he died of an aneurysm in the brain cerebral edema. And it was caused from the cocaine so I am certain now that Is the way he died not the aspirin or the medication drugs that they were claiming. Again thanks for posting you got a new follower.. and I've done several recreations on Bruce Lee himself on my channel all digitally.
Morphine is not considered a drug in the olden days, even the ancient times. Its a powerful pain killer. And this helped Bruce Lee recover very well. So well that he's able to even be more capable then ever before.
These letters are mostly about cocaine, not morphine. M-pills are most likely not a reference to morphine, nor would it be the main revelation of these letters even if it was. I have extremely detailed notes about his doctor visits and the medication that he was taking, I’m not sure whose butt you pulled your “information” out of. He was in a lot of pain in the last three years of his life, and certainly not more capable than before. Don’t confuse his movies with reality.
First of all thanks a lot for doing this episode. In my humble opinion it's more as you said towards the end, "You were able to do all of that things and you were on all those drugs?!" As you said, after all it was the 60's and Bruce experimented a lot with a bunch of different things, for me this is just another "branch" of experimenting regarding pain relief and relaxing (CBD was not available at that time, as far as I know, I can imagine, that cannabis oil did probably the same trick).Some passages also show, that he definitely monitored, when to slow down with drug intake, so to me it looks like he knew about developing a habit, which is not beneficial in certain situations and he tried to get that under control. Anyways, all that things shouldn't diminish his achievements at all. Anyways, I am just an admirer who tried to "sneak" into his new movies in cinemas, when I was a kid. You guys now much better, after all your research. Again a huge thank you, Alex, especially for doing this in a very objective way!!! Regards from Bali, hope to see you again here, someday, when the situation gets better.
Thanks for doing the special episode Alex, it was very interesting! I had always believed Bruce didn’t do hard drugs because he was very health conscious but it was the 70s so I’m not too surprised. Nothing could ever take away what an incredibly amazing man he was and his gigantic contribution in promoting Martial Arts and Hong Kong Cinema. It’s a bit silly people need him to be both a badass and a saint.
@@TheKungFuGenius Thank you! I’m very happy you like them, I really enjoy your podcasts and learn lots of new information from them! You probably don’t need the subtitles anyway, your knowledge of Cantonese is good and have done plenty more research into Wing Chun than me.
@@TheKungFuGenius Haha at least you don’t call yourself Dai Sifu Kung Fu Genious! I actually have a question but it’s one of those gossipy ones you don’t like. Do you know anything about the press conference written about in the article by Hsuan Kung Tse that you are able to share? Completely understand if it’s a topic you’d like to steer clear of, it does sound like a potential can of worms.
Even I'm a Bruce Lee fan... Yet, I'm just NOW hearing about these letters coming out! 😳 Does this mean there are legal ramifications for Linda for lying on oath about the life insurance!?! Wondering why did they keep these letters anyways!? I'm sure Linda regrets putting her name on those letters!
If life insurance and a butler fall guy (of which we don't for sure know of the arrangement/understanding) is the worst of it all... ...this latest reveal is pretty tame for a 70's Hollywood/pop/sport icon. So, I can lol at the funny references/drug euphemisms: - Holy Stuffs, You've been down too long in the midnight sea... - "Bob, Bruce needs to go snow skiiing asap, the cold air helps his aching back." - Linda
This explains why he looked so strange on Enter the Dragon. It also explains his level of exercise intensity. He exercise WAY too much. Probably fueled by the cocaine. Exercise intensity fueled by cocaine led to him hurting his back. It all makes sense.
Your assessment about why he looked the way he looked in ETD is spot on. However, the timeline on the back injury is off, his back injury predates his use of cocaine.
Never meet your heroes. Drugs are so rampant in the US and easily accessible especially in elite circles whether business, sports, politics, or the arts. RIP Bruce. You inspired so many and became a legend but at the end of the day you were still human. Even from the grave you continue to teach us.
I always thought Bruce was using harder drugs based on the way he started to look. I remember reading about the paranoia several times. I am not surprised. Like you said it was the 60's and 70's. If anything this sheds light on a lot of my suspicion's over the years. Chronic pain is hell. I feel bad for Shannon and Linda. My opinion has not changed on him either. He will always be an innovator who was ahead of his time.
Bruce is just experimenting. Many artists do experiment with drugs to help with creativity or to come up with something new. Bruce now is a huge star at this point and has the money to get drugs. He wasn't a monk. You don't know if Bruce was addicted. Makes Bruce even cooler to me. 😎
There were 50 letters in a six year period, the lion share of them in the last two years. The letters are dated and many of them are a month or less apart asking for more C. In March of 1973 they had ONE order that was $500. Calling that experimenting is… generous.
The drug use and possible steroid use destroys the mythos. Bruce sold his personal as being soley created by mental strength which is a lie. However he is still a hero and should not be seen as a perfect man. His whole philisophy was build on mental strenth not cocaine filled confidence.
@@TheKungFuGenius I see your point but Bruce was enjoying his fame. Who's to say he wasn't having parties with friends? The ladies? It was the early 70's and attitudes towards cocaine use was quite different back then. It kept the party going. Many thought it wasn't even addictive back then. Today we know it is addictive and not good for your health if over used. I wouldn't condone its use to anyone but everyone travels their own path. Respect your channel and your opinion.
This makes me see Bruce Lee in a whole new light. He is way more awesome than I could've imagined! He is a human being after all, Rest In Power🐉. . .🤩🐲👊💥💯
I also grew up anamoured by Bruce Lee and having his posters on my walls. Clearly Bruce Lee was not mediocre in his skill and philosophy but as a teacher he espoused mental and physical discipline while not really following it himself. We were told he was the best martial artist in the whole world then and even today people still think this. He is held up as the ultimate example of Kung Fu. I'm sure there are plenty of brilliant martial artist better than him who haven't taken drugs. Even then and in the '60s and '70's but the myth has to be kept alive because there is an industry around it and it's a lucrative one. Basically money to be made. Like because it's that time you have to take drugs. It would be great to know how Elvis considered Bruce Lee since he hated illegal drug users but ultimately ended up dying on prescription drugs years later in '77. He was made out to be a God to look up to based on his movies and acting from childhood of which he had alot of experience. Although he never won a world title like Ali, Tyson,Don Wilson and Benny 'the jet' Urquides etc Are we saying it's ok to take drugs to achieve high heights in sports,music etc. That's normally called cheating not only the public but themselves and they've paid the ultimate price. Look at former Tour de France World Champion Lance ( the name escapes me at mo') and 100m sprinter Ben Johnson for example. Bruce Lee wasn't as good as he was made out to be although he was to his credit instrumental in modern martial arts Most likely he could have been better andnd lived to see his dream bear fruit had he not got caught up in drugs. It's taken this long to find out. In Shannon Lee's documentary we were told it was as a result of a blow to the head from nunchaku practice which went untreated in a bid to look faster on screen in Enter The Dragon. Unlike Any Winehouse Bruce Lee hid it well which is shocking. Unfortunately " the fans" will never acknowledge this to keep their idols myth alive which was clearly used to keep the money coming in, understandably at the sudden loss. Don't judge, what have you achieved? Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Anger at an opinion on their god who was perfection. Well, even god's, have feet of clay.
Anabolic Steroids were legal back then and so was blood doping, and Finland's Greatest Long Distance Runner Lasse Viren won Gold Medals in the 5K & 10K at the 1972 Olympics & Gold Medals in the 5K & 10K at the 1976 Olympics. And if you think that the greatest Olympic Sprinter of all-time, Usaine Bolt was clean, then i got some swamp land in Florida to sell you. The fact that Bruce Lee used weed & hash oil & mushrooms and MDMA is not surprising considering it was the 60s & early 70s. I am surprised that he used cocaine because he had a prior heart condition and because it makes you paranoid if you are addicted to it. I'm certainly not going to judge him, we don't even know if it contributed towards his death.
Shocked. Truly shocked. However, I do agree, in a matter of fairness and honesty, one has to be able to separate the individual from his accomplishments.
After this revelation I don't look at Bruce Lee differently... just slightly. The fact he was knowingly willing to pin any legal issues on his Butler, really shows how the drugs fucked him up in the brain.
Hi KFG just wanted to say, you have found something very interesting to say the least. We now know something about his life, struggles, let’s not forget, this was a very young man, specially in the late 60’s an early 70’s. Drugs were everywhere with the stars. I am sure he Loved acid and Hash. But we now have a more complete idea of his last years. He struggled so much after his injury…reason of some kind, the pain management must of been HELL for him. I liked the way you presented this BOMB, and like you said. Being older, we have a better understanding of his life and CHALLENGES. Thank you for this information delivered with a lot of HEART ❤️👍😎💙🇺🇦
Thank you so much for the tremendous support on this video - I offer some updates on my recent podcast episode. ua-cam.com/video/olyS2_YXEqM/v-deo.html
BTW: "M Pills" most likely it's mescaline or MDMA, either way there are too many comments on it to matter at this point. And yes I know psilocybin is not a designer drug. Chill peeps.
Also the papers are actual stationary - Bob Baker worker for a paper company and apparently provided Bruce with stationary.
Enjoy!
The KFG
Is there a place for questions or requests for Wing Chun related material?
@@trondyne3513 there was a post for questions on the KFG community wall - and you can post questions on the latest video (which is not this one).
Is it possible that somebody forged the letters about drugs on the note that the writing is sloppy? That's a bug coincidence that only those letters are sloppy
@@janemueller653 possible but very unlikely. I've read Tao of Jeet Kune Do. His text is legible, but his writing in his illustrations, while easy to read, is just as sloppy. Even the most profound of writers have shitty handwritting so it doesn't surprise me.
I heard in Oakland that Bruce was on Cocaine I didn’t believe it.
I respect what he did, his archivements, contributions and how he inspired a whole generation. But at the end of the day, he was just a human being and had his demons like everybody else. Don't judge.
Thank you for commenting
@@moehoward8691 I'm a Bruce Lee fan, but that doesn't mean that I worship him or anyone else and saying that he was mediocre is absurd. Have you ever read books about him regarding his background and training methods? Have you read or watched interviews from his former students like Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Dan Inosanto, etc. and listened to what they had to say about him?
and what did you create? did you create a new philosophy? a new martial art? did you make a movie? or you only know how to eat donuts or a way to inspire new parrots? Bruce Lee was what he was, with strengths and weaknesses like everyone else. unlike you who nobody knows, lolol go back to your cave lol
@@moehoward8691 Your definetly medicore--try getting a brain skan and see if anything is in there???
@@moehoward8691
Admiration and hero worship aren’t the same thing, but I have to admit that some of my peers in the Bruce Lee community definitely are fanatics.
This takes nothing away from my love for Bruce
Same
I threw away my nunchucks. Kidding, I’m not really going to throw away something I paid $15 for.
@@Dad_Brad🤣
Who knew Bruce Lee was human.
@@Kthomasritchie The Lee estate tried their best for 50 years to make him look like a saint. I’m glad we now have more knowledge of how he was more like the rest of us. I know people who use coke and other substances yet function at an extremely high level. You never know.
When Chuck Norris smoked pot he blew out clouds of crystal meth.
“Don’t focus on the finger or you’ll miss all of the heavenly glory.” I’ve often thought this applied to people too. All of the Martial inspiration you get from Bruce Lee isn’t changed by these letters.
Totally agree. But still, lessons to be learned here.
@@TheKungFuGenius true.
We are thinking along the same lines and I wrote mine before I actually saw yours
Good outlook on life that 👍
Truth
Despite the drug use, Bruce took care of himself and his family and he had his shit together. He was one of the most inspirational Martial artist of all time
If your on drugs you never have your stuff together, unless you kick the habit/addiction.
@trumpisthemessiah7017 Bruce won fights in the streets of Hong Kong with no rules. These fights were illegal and known as "Beimo"
One of his teachers (Wong Sheung Leung) was also a good fighter which gave him the name "king of the talking hands"
While other martial artists fought in tournaments & competitions - he fought for real in the rough streets with gangs ;)
@trumpisthemessiah7017while iagree that bruce lee is way iver rated im sure royce would lose to bruce if bruce lands a solid hit before graplling
@trumpisthemessiah7017oh shut up bum🤦🏾♂️
But he was a Coke head. This is what this video has to contribute to the legacy of Bruce. I love Bruce & I wanna know it all. He was human. He was creative. He created his own Martial Art!!! He was original,....& he did COKE. BTW thanks to Hollywood pressure, anybody would do COKE. Its Escapism! To be honest, these days, I think its worst. I wouldn't want the gig. He will live Forever!!!
Only thing it changes for me is the thought that this played a role in his demise. We lost out on so much more he could have given the world as a result of a drug habit. Not to mention Brandon and Shannon not having him around growing up. It's all still a huge tragedy.
Yupp, he died pretty young. But he got to be a beloved celebrity before the internet, too. Plus he had kids and banged abroad as well. And presumably/hopefully he had some fun with all those drugs, and the friendships. All in all, a short but extraordinarily impressive ride. Can't be too greedy.
Is there some evidence that drugs played a role in Bruce's demise? Just because he used doesn't mean that killed him. Polly's book made a strong case that Bruce died of a heat stroke.
@@SeisanStnc heat stroke? I've never heard that
@@SeisanStncJust so you know that. If you're using that kind of substance heat stroke is probably your number one risk for fatality... It's not a heart attack it's not a stroke... It's straight up overheating... That can manifest itself in many ways, but it wouldn't have happened if your heat was not burning so hot, so those things are not mutually exclusive... For example, somebody I used to know. Would just dip themselves in a cold water bath every hour or two just to Is keep going Because It would feel like you got sleep literally according to them...
@@theduckfromthejoke152 that's interesting and I didn't know that. We should also probably consider, though, the fact that Bruce had the sweat glands removed from his armpits recently prior to his death, which would have impeded his body's ability to cool itself. I am not dismissing your point, but it is interesting that his passing out in the film room and subsequent death weeks or months later only happened after that surgery. One has to wonder why the (possible) heat stroke happened after -- and only after -- that surgery, and not during those prior years of drug use.
It could have been a compound effect, but it seems possible that it could have happened without drugs, too. According to multiple sources, Bruce struggled with heat since he was a baby.
This takes nothing away from the man, it only makes him stronger, more human. Achieving what he did by the age of 32 is unprecedented and will never be replicated.
RIP my friend
Great comment!
Of course it takes nothing from the man, if anything it adds more to him. I am thinking of taking up cocaine since I found out Bruce taking it, it seems drugs do help lift Consciousness to a higher level if taken in moderation.
Yeah just means he was only another movie star like JCVD.. Bruce would get destroyed in real fights.. wouldn’t hang doing them drugs
@@TheTraveler2222 Only Psychedelics..
@@TheTraveler2222 you have to be trolling. bruce did shrooms and LSD as well as Weed. cocaine is what did him in, as well as in combination of all of that mixed together and hash. don't fuck with coke man.
I've been a fan since the day I watched a Green Hornet show in 1968...I was four years old...and it is one of the first memories in my life... I lost my father around that time, and I hanged on The Martial Artist as a father figure... I grew up in the streets of Mexico City, getting into troubles, but looking after my health and training because I wanted to be like my surrogate 'father'... Me and my friends watched Bruce Lee's films, and trained to be like him... I survived the streets, and keep myself healthy and away from drugs because of Bruce's inspiration... I still train and watch his movies, finding in The Master a skill level unmatched by anyone anywhere... While shocking, these letters only help to understand his untimely death, and put a human perspective to an otherwise 'superhuman' figure that served as surrogate father and as beacon of light in the life of a fatherless young Mexican boy...
You are highly articulate,and enlightening.❤❤
Back injuries are no joke. It makes the best people struggle to function in everyday life. I can only imagine the amount of pressure BL was under to succeed in his field. Definitely was blessed to have lifelong friends who were able to offer him support and love. I think today we are so much more aware that celebrities are just regular human beings who have the same struggles and challenges that everyday folks have. It in no way diminishes my opinion of him.
very true
Back affects everything else. Every thought, every step every minute of every day. A boat load great stuff has been written high.
Huge Bruce lee fan! Surprising?? Not all, different time and place. Everybody was at it, plus the circles he ran in. Doesn’t take anything away from him. Does Elvis or the Rolling Stones or sugar ray leonard or Diego Maradona become less of a legend beside of it? No. He was human. Had his flaws like everyone. Up the little dragon. Greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪
Thanks for commenting
Was sugar ray on it to ?
Well said
@@levibenjamin2211 yes, I read his autobiography. Loved the old magic dust for a long time. Met him too. Nice guy!
@Tony hahaha folksy factsy stories told by Mr PhD 🤣🤣🤣
He's not a junkie, definitely. Medical Science in the 70s can't help his spine problems. I believe he took all that rather than taking painkiller pills which he knows can harm him more. Rest In Peace Bruce Lee. Gone But Not Forgotten.
thanks for commenting!
@@TheKungFuGenius thanks for sharing
Who was the huge bodybuilder who damaged his spine? He was interviewed about the intense pain he suffered.
"He's not a junkie" thank God your not a person that is has some authority over other human beings, i hope not lol.even after everything is spelt out in blk&white you say otherwise. state of human beings in the youtube and mental health era.. maybe u shulda start sniffing a few lines yourself.He's not a junkie,LOL.
**did u even watch the video? fucking clown
It's true! He loved to open his mind as well.
The legacy doesnt die, he was an extraordinary human being. Much Love.
“Don’t focus on the finger or you’ll miss all of the heavenly glory.” "SLAP"
Bruce was a human being. And soooooo many of us d”denied him his humanity” by building him up to be this paragon of virtue this iconic martial arts godlike figure.
But it turns out he was human just like the rest of us.
Thanks for commenting
And he was actually wrong about high kicks to the head being useless.
@@perfectsplit5515 I love when people interject their personal talking points regardless of relevance to the topic or thread. Thanks for commenting!
@@TheKungFuGenius lol yes
Yes he was just a human he has just a high kicking ability.
It doesn’t change my admiration of him. It only makes him more human. Also, the dangers of extended cocaine use were not known until young people started dropping dead in the 1980s. It may have a major bearing on why he died. Thanks for the podcast. You always deliver balanced and informative Bruce information. I thought I knew a lot about Bruce but I’m a rank amateur compared to you.
Thank you, I totally agree with it not changing much. I wanted to be the first on UA-cam to discuss this at any length, and I wanted to make sure that it was even handed.
@@TheKungFuGenius I’m also glad you jumped on this. The “he was just an actor” and the “he was a demi-god” crowds will be throwing up a bunch of noise very soon. It’s good to have someone from the much smaller “he was an extraordinary and accomplished human being” group defining the argument early.
His comment was perfect! The way you called both of those groups is perfect
Yup and the sad thing is you can't even be in the third group without ppl accusing you of being in the "thinking he is a demi-god" group.
@@treadstoned9915 yup
Looking back through history it is incredibly hard to find a successful artist/author of any kind that did not use alcohol or drugs to create their masterpiece(s). On top of that, he was in pain because of the injury and of course under a great deal of stress to stay in the business that he loved, to continue being successful, and to provide for his family. During the last years of his life for sure the weight of being an idol (not just a movie star, but also a martial artist and an inspiration for anyone to do their best in whatever they do) contributed to the situation. I just found out he was close with Polanski and his wife, so after she got famously and brutally killed, he got scared and paranoid for his own life as well as the life of his family. To me, it's obvious he found a way to cope with the use of drugs. Which just makes him more human, not a superhero we grew up with.
I knew that Bruce Lee ingested cannabis, but this is all new to me. I'm a huge Bruce Lee fan, and this doesn't affect my opinion of him one bit. Everyone makes mistakes and has their faults, and that is just part of being human. People who are famous are no different.
I think near the end of his life Bruce was just strung out, and this is how he dealt with his problems.
Agreed
Well said as I feel the same way!
Don't forget also that this was the 60s nearly everyone in America was on some sort of drug
Plus it was a big Hollywood thing and sex stimulus ect.
But if this us true ,hey Bruce Lee was like you said a human and subject to faults.
We all knew about the cannabis and hashish and I personally believe Bruce Lee was Unipolar Manic the opposite of Bipolar Manic Depression.
A person can be
Unipolar Manic or
Unipolar Depressed.
@@TheKungFuGenius Bruce Lee had a mental illness called Unipolar Manic and its not uncommon for genius like Bruce, especially when you hear about him being full of energy all the time on the set of The Green Hornet TV shooting. He is a great martial arts and years ahead of him contemporaries with training and understanding ,plus remember Arnold Swatzannegger user that drug also and he said in his book the Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding. And yes his wife wanted that insurance bag. So she wanted him in the ground as soon as possibly after he died so as not to blow the policy's with negative finding of drugs.
Bruce Lee was simply a human being. He was an excellent martial artist, but like us all, ultimately human.
Truth
agreed.
@@TheKungFuGenius bruce was addicted to steroids try to interview tom bleecker.
@@moehoward8691 lots of people in Hwood are jerks
Dragon.
For me It makes things make sense. The legend was that of an extremely health conscious man suddenly dying. A death swirled in mystery. A curse? A vendetta? "There goes my hero watch him as he goes. There goes my hero, he's ordinary. " Bruce was far from ordinary but at the end of the day he was human. An amazing complex human. Just like the rest of us. I still hold him in the same high regard.
Excellent comment - great sense !
The drugs didn´t help him to become the greatest of all time. His own trainingmethods and willingness to suffer to get to the top is responsible for that. The Little Dragon continues to be great and to inspire people.
Agreed!
Esteroids help you know.
Amen, Rene'.
Has Bruce Lee's contributed something to your life? For me I got involved in the martial arts and sport. Many hours of repeat viewings of his films His influence in other areas of my life. But I am much older now and long realised my childhood/young adult hero was only human. I can very fondly remember his positive influence on my life. Now I can look at this other area of his life to get a wider picture of his life. Thank you Bruce Lee for your impact on my life.
Absolutely, watch the other videos in my channel about him. That’s why I’m just reporting the news here, before the trolls get to it
Yes, before I knew him I trained boxing and Lethwei/Muay Thai. Then after seeing his movies, I like him and learnt Karate, Kung Fu, Judo, Aikido, Kendo etc. And now, no more his influence. Because I've grown up and I know the fantasy and reality.
Bruce Lee was, and still is, one of my idols. I look up to and admire him. Alot of us in the martial arts community were introduced to this way of life thru his movies. But let's not forget..when all is said and done..Bruce Lee was still just a human being, just like everyone else.
Hearing these letters red makes me feel a tremendous sadness for Bruce. He seems so isolated and under stress. It’s clear that his addictions have gotten the best of him as he was becoming more on the drugs he needed and also the sizes of the shipments
Great insights, thank you!
This doesn't change how i feel about him..
Thank you for commenting! I think many agree with this.
Same here, Greg...
Don't change my opinion on this Icon , He helped me as a shy kid very introverted. He helped me be strong and started working out and taking classes. His influence on me will forever be with me.
To quote Rick James, "Cocaine's a hell of a drug."
Bruce Lee was the man he chose to be. Not those who were before him. Who he was, is not who we will be. A badass martial artist, a badass actor, and most of all, a badass human. He had flaws, but he still pushed forward.
They lying they ass off weed yeah but not no damn cocain though
@@corneilmadison8971 The 1970s were drugs heavy and don't get me started with the 1980s.. Everybody was on drugs back in those decades.. No shame in that.. I'm just glad people seen what harm they do now.. people didn't know back then..
@@kenrickkahn nah his daughter had letters of him asking a certain individual for prescription weed etc not cocain though, it wasn't cocain but he was on cannabis i think, she put the letters up for auction
@@corneilmadison8971 I have nothing against Marijuana.. The Native Americans smoked the plant and lived well into their 100s.. like Bruce's letters say *"It's that good stuff"*
@@kenrickkahn if u know ur history it wasn't for smoking it was for curing wounds
No one is perfect. For me, Li Jun Fan's legacy remains intact.
The gossip rags in Hong Kong used to spell his name as “Li“ and it drove him absolutely crazy. He always preferred the more Anglicized “LEE“. Also once he became famous he referred to himself as Lee Siu Lung and not by Lee Jun Fan.
@@TheKungFuGenius thanks for the info.
If I had a time machine I'd go back in time and do a line with Bruce. 🤣
Dare to dream
Fuck yeah 👍
LOL
Quote of the year
"Be the line".
That back pain is no joke surprised he could do what he did
As someone who’s had back pain I can attest to this
AND THE DOCTORS TOLD BRUCE LEE THAT HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO THE MARTIAL ARTS ANY MORE,BL KNOWING THAT'S NOT GOING TO FLY BUT THE REST IS HISTORY.
Yeah, because eating LSD like there is no tomorrow will help you alot with back pain lmao... he was a junkie, simple as that. You dont use cocaine for pains, it is a bad drug for muscular pains.. guess why?...
....it was the steroids that bounced him to super human status...im so sure he found it not only took his back pain away...but it streamlined his physique to superman!
@UC_IY61L3L3Xlbbdc0zxmyKw get a fucking life. Why are you watching you goof
Imagine how scary life would be. You are going broke, you have a wife and 2 kids to support and you just suffered a major back injury that means you cannot be a man of the house as you are laying on your back all day for the better part of 6 months and the bills are piling up. Could you blame any man for needing some pain and stress relief in a situation like that to ease his pain and perhaps his ego? That is how this sort of thing starts and spirals out of control. This is reality.
Cocaine is not really a drug of choice for back pain and he admittedly used it for his creative process, not for pain relief.
@@TheKungFuGenius Its all relative I think. A lot of athletes in football (The American kind) usually start with the pain relief stuff first, Vicodin and whatnot. Then the hard stuff comes into play to help with the stress. Then its all down hill from there.
This is indeed a mind bender for us die hard Bruce Lee fans.
Part of me thinks these letter should have been burned and never seen the light of day and part of me is relieved with curiosities satisfied about certain aspects of his life and death.
We really shouldn’t be surprised, he was, after all, exactly what he wished to be thought of “A Human Being” who was continuously evolving. The revelations of the personal lives of icons is nothing new today. If this was turning into a problem for him, Im sure he would have eventually ended up in a detox clinic or did it himself. When we are young, many of us abuse our bodies with substances, be it cigarettes, alcohol or anything else. Perhaps he saw it as a way to maintain focus and energy levels. Whatever the case might be, he only did harm to himself. Involving the butler seems to be more of a cultural thing that would be accepted.
Why now? Baker obviously coveted these letters and made sure that they could be easily discovered by his family. Maybe he could later use them as collateral or for blackmail or some kind of protection? Were the letters first revealed to the Lee family for consideration?
I have watched Shannon Lees “Family Reunion” series and it struck me as strange and odd that she had to literally personally reach out to relatives like cousins and uncles whom she hadn’t spoken to for years and sometimes decades. The interviews were unexpectedly a bit awkward and clumsy as if there was a really good reason they had not been in contact for all those years. Were these family members already aware of this problem that Bruce and Linda had?
It all makes perfect sense to me. I have always truly suspected Linda Lee of having an agenda and alterior motives for the things she said and did immediately after Bruce Lees death. The initial lie that he had died at home to try and avoid the loss of face and out right scandal of him passing in Betty Ting Peis apartment, the moving of the corpse outside of China, initially the reason being so that his children would be able to visit, but maybe so there could be no exhumation of the body under Chinese authority for further testing. Her calling for speculation and inquiry to stop! Her insistence that we “Focus on how Bruce lived and not how he died”, it all points a great deal back to her trying to protect his image, his legacy, his children and herself. Who could blame her? She certainly had the cooperation of everyone else.
There is one thing though, Betty Ting-Pei revealed in an recent interview that ‘The truth” about how Bruce Lee died would one day be revealed. What truth could that possibly be? During that interview she stated he also had a heart condition that was kept very quiet. Its already been revealed that he had suffered a seizure while working on Enter The Dragon. By all accounts, when he went to back to the US to get a complete medical check-up trying to find the cause of the seizure,( which surely didn’t include an illicit drug screen)he was given a clean bill of health and was told at 32, that he had the body of an 18 year old. This was pretty self evident.
Another person, Fred Weintraub stated that once he became famous, “Bruce changed in ways that many change after they become successful” he seemed to be referring to the understandable increase in paranoia that fame can bring on to many. Did he also know about the cocaine likely fueling the paranoia? That whole cocaine-paranoia-gun scenario reminds me of Marvin Gaye, who also had a serious cocaine problem and had purchased several firearms for protection. The one that he gave to his father, was eventually used by his father to kill him.
I believe that he used cannabis not to just get high but as a very effective pain medication for his chronic back pain. That being said, it seems logical that the “M” substance he might have been referring to could have been Morphine. Maybe not.
The cocaine usage is understandable. During the filming of Enter The Dragon, It was reported that Bruce Lee would be the first one on the set in the morning and the last one to leave in the evening and then would re-write and choreograph into the wee hours of the morning while also still training his body. That is an incredible feat to pull off for months without something to stimulate you. Coffee and tea aint gonna get that job done. Cocaine at that time as I remember was a strange and exotic substance that would be fairly expensive and exclusive. It was for the rich, the rich who even knew about it.
Its apparent he was using it and would scribble off these notes to Baker when the realization he was running low or running out hit him. Perhaps Linda would step in with her letters when Bruce was unable to or felt some kind of fleeting shame? Only Linda knows.
One thing is for sure, this is not anything unusual for the time period. I am a child of the 1960s. As I see more and more of the icons of my childhood have their most intimate and personal life details get exposed to the public, I become more aware that we are all spiritual beings having a human experience on this planet we call Earth.
I think that the host of this channel showed a remarkable amount of courage to post this along with some copies of the various letters. I am still processing these revelations and I am sure that more things will start to make sense.
One thing that is for certain is that Linda Lee, who is still alive and well, could step forward and either confirm these things or go into silence mode. Either way, she might be up for charges of insurance fraud and perjury, and that is a very unpleasant contemplation. You don’t mess with Lloyds Money. It could get really nasty from here on.
I will never lose respect for Bruce Lee. He was an incredible human being who was under tremendous amount of pressure who responded with the most incredible shift in action movies that there has ever been. I sincerely admire his daughter Shannon and what she has done and continues to do with his legacy and name brand and was a huge fan of his son Brandon as well. It would be very interesting if Linda Lee Cadwel would step forward and address this whole issue.
Really thoughtful
Well said, yes this adds so much needed context to his passing at such an early age and so much more
No one reading all that
👏👏👏👏👏👍
It easy to know why he would let the cat out off the bag now.M.O.N.E.Y.😮
Bruce actually told One of the doctors, Dr Peter Wu, when he was admitted to the hospital the first time when he had fainted, that he was Chewing on Hashish leaf while he was doing some dubbing for Enter The Dragon right before he passed out, so that wasn't any secret. This Habit must have started in the late 60s when he was hanging around his Hollywood Circle and he must have found that it helped him relax and to de-stress from all the hard work he was putting into his Martial Arts and Film making. I do remember reading somewhere that he did comment on how these Subtances did give him a false sense of consciousness/awareness. What's interesting is that the Autopsy report did not state any other substances found in his body except the equagesic and the Hash, which implies to me that these other hard drugs were taken sparingly or they weren't sent as often to HK as these letters would imply.
It was never clear in the autopsy what was checked for. Cocaine clears the system fast.
Coke is out of ur system in 3 days and is expensive so i see it
@@TheKungFuGeniushe didn’t do coke in hong kong and only in la. He never did coke in Hong Kong and the coke didn’t kill him. By the way Bruce’s father was a serious opium addict so he knew about drugs and was around drugs his whole life
@MalEvansUSA i’m sorry you can’t read and that you have decided that what you believe about something without facts is in fact reality.
@@TheKungFuGenius thanks for your content. With that said you don’t know shit
I just hope that all the greatness that he's done doesn't get overshadowed by this
I don’t think it will, these letters and this video are over a year old and the Lee estate doesn’t seem to have changed course at all. They buried their heads in the sand and largely ignored this whole thing.
I think hollyweird wan5 to destroy Bruce Lee’s Reputation! Bruce Lee is more Famous than Hollyweird actors!
@trumpisthemessiah7017 he introduced martial arts to the world, opened the doors for all martial artist to this day from action movie stars to combat sports competitors. He originated the idea of taking elements from all types of martial arts styles that worked for him and combining them into his fitting. That was the whole idea he was trying to teach every martial artist to take in what works for them, discard what doesn’t and then add what is uniquely their own. That then later on evolved to what we know now as MMA. If it weren’t for Bruce Lee, there would be no MMA, there would be no UFC. Is that enough to tell you why he is and always will be remembered as a Legend? Or you still crying about him having no fight record?
@xcaliburmind just look at this troll’s handle and you know everything you need. He forgets that smart phones had awful video quality in the 60’s or that there was ZERO money in point karate in the 60’s and Bruce had a family to feed. “BrO I duN NeVeR SeEn BRuCe LeE FiGHt nOBuddy 🤡
The guy also says Bruce Lee didn’t do anything great but he thinks a multiple time failed business criminal is “the messiah”.
No need to feed anonymous delusional cowards
So we got the drunken master, when are we going to get the coked out master? “He does lines and he breaks spines” 😂
Not fucking funny dude
To be honest, drugs can be seriously overrated sometimes. I've done some coke, marijuana, hasj and xtc recreationally in the past during experimental phase in my life and it really doesn't impact your life if you don't exaggerate and don't get addicted. One day I just didn't do it anymore and it doesn't change your life at all. I mean alcohol is consumed much more. People who don't do drugs fear it, but it's really not that special. But pity to hear bruce got some addiction, it was probably just that era. Doesn't take anything away from his accomplishments.
Agreed!
@@TheKungFuGenius Then youre a moron. What's to agree with? Yeah let's have heroin in moderation. What could happen
Yes done them and they are boring. Addiction is a mental illness
Dont take this guys advice. Drugs affect people very differently.
@@wilsontexas Where do you see me give advice? I said it was overrated. Don't twist my words.
after all this does anyone really believe he died from taking aspirin lol
Crazy that people ever believed it
@@coincollectorchase noones died from taking a aspirin before
@@riverdean7 I didn't know that
If you can find an old documentary called Death By Misadventure, check it out. The actual doctor who did the autopsy on Bruce said he didn’t die from any pain medication. They lied so that Linda could collect Bruce’s life insurance.
@@darrylbink5309 yeh i seen it
I still like Bruce Lee he had to do what ever it takes to get by. I will never forget Bruce Lee God bless him R.I.P MY dear friend...
I just heard about these letters yesterday but in a vague description of them. Thanks for doing this vid!
You’re welcome
huge bruce lee fan...at the end of the day were all human ...even the legends and icons have their flaws...Bruce did damage his sacral nerve and dealt with consistent pain even after recovery so aside from the cortisol shots maybe this was his copping mechanism for stress ..still doesn't take away from his tremendous contribution to this world...much respect to your channel great stuff
Thank you
Van damn was huge on Cocaine. It destroyed his career. I appreciate the way you addressed this bombshell. You did a great job making sense of it. You did it with respect and integrity. I agree with you about separating his skills and huge inspiration to the world from his bad personal habits. He’s still the greatest.
Thank you for that great comment! On a sidenote, my students and I bumped into JCVD in Hong Kong and he was on all sorts of stuff.
@@TheKungFuGenius that’s sad 😞
What I love about JVCD that he never denied none of what he did.. I love that.. He maned up and said *"Hell yeah I did it"* JVCD is a legend..
Thank you for doing this episode. As new and sometimes shocking information, like this, continues to pop up about Bruce Lee, it's important to address it honestly. We as fans are curious and want to talk about it and it was great to see the letters here , hear some of the backstory and get your views on it. You always approach things fairly and honestly and that's one of the reasons I love your podcast.
You’re welcome!
When I watched the movie Dragon the Bruce Lee story at the age of 14 I stopped hanging out with my trouble making friends and became more straight edge… and it felt good. I used Bruce as a roll model to keep me on the right path in my life. I just wished things like this would not not have been revealed because Bruce may not be the same type of roll model for future generations to come. We all have skeletons but people sometimes need that guy to keep them on the narrow path.
JFK was addicted to prescription speed/dexadrine & prescription painkillers like demerol & dilaudid. Dr Feelgood had most of Hollywood addicted to drugs.
Because I think Hollywood or some director want to destroy Bruce Lee’s reputation because of ENVY! . It all started by the Tarantino movie Once upon a time in Holly weird! Tarantino cannot accept Bruce is a legend n more n more Famous than him n any holly weird actors, because Bruce Lee is Asian Chinese!
I think we owe it to people we look up to to see the whole picture. He was human and a complex person just like all his fans. It humanises him.
@@chilli1115
But the problem is that our role models need to be larger than life and larger than human. Part of the success of Bruce Lee as a role model is that he was never defeated. If he had ever fought and lost people would say "yes of course he's human" but at the same time it would destroy his brand as a legend. This is probably why Bruce Lee himself never fought real matches, he knew that a loss would tarnish his brand.
Dude this is the opposite of click-bait, holy shit! 20 minutes of interesting but not sensationalized facts, then the handwriting starts to deteriorate, then BAM! Holy crap that's a lot of drugs, normal people don't buy hash oil by the ounce. But I absolutely get it, Bruce was absolutely on the spectrum: I'd guess he was prone to sustained hypomanic episodes which strongly mimic the effects of stimulant use. Excellent content, thanks.
Thank you!
I will still drink Bruce Tea though ;) They should pay me to do this type of shoutout.
Bruce Tea™️ is the holy stuffs!
Where can I get Bruce Tea I’ve been searching on line and it seems that places that carried it don’t have it in stock anymore
I still want a towel of jeet kune do!
🤣
Is it okey to toke it instead of drinking it? ':D
I wish someone would make a typeface based on Bruce's handwriting. It's really beautiful.
Great idea, I agree!
The cocaine was probably the reason why in the Enter The Dragon he looked a little pale and tired compared to before. The weed and coke opened up his imagination. Also when Jacky Chan saw Bruce shortly before he died he said Bruce was just walking around alone and then went with him to watch him bowl and when he left he wanted to say something but then just got in the taxi. He knew his life was in threat now combine that with the drugs and it could make your mind worry about not being able to see his family anymore and so forth.
So glad that UA-cam recommended your channel to me. I subscribed, and have been binging my way through every video.
That makes me very happy to hear!
Even our heroes are all too human. This doesn’t take away from my respect of Mr. Lee. He was an inspiration.
people blame Linda for the superhero image of Bruce but it started before that , in fact it started in '71 when Big Boss came out.....just look at the HK movie poster where Lee is portrayed as a superhero with endless energy , leaping across the screen......it pisses me off however that she lied all these yrs like she treated us as naive fools , its insulting and I wouldve respected the estate a lot more had she been honest about his death
no taking drugs is no excuse at all
What an amazing movie it would make to have an impressionable student hanging out with him for a day on the early ETD set. Strong, fast, excellent but also tired, stressed, arrogant and egotistical. A savage coke scene that everyone loses their mind over. Reminds me of the twilight zone where the Elvis impersonator goes back in time and meets Elvis. They hate each other so much they fight and Elvis dies.
Still processing this. I'll probably go through more emotions regarding this over the next couple of days. Ultimately, we all have to remember that these figures of history we put on pedestals weren't saints. Instead, they had very human flaws. That doesn't make them less of a person. Rather, it makes them real. Bruce was very forward thinking with martial arts and introduced positive philosophies that have affected so many. And he was a coke addict who was willing to pin his crimes on a butler. That's the reality. The question is which do you emphasize more? Which wins out in the end? I'm leaning towards one answer, but I'm still grappling with the other. I also want to say thank you to Sifu Alex for offering the context regarding Bruce's life. The pressures of persevering and maintaining success, that had to have a massive influence on anyone, let alone someone like Bruce.
Thanks for this perspective
Error on the side of Grace my friend. You can never lose on that end of the equation. 😉
Bruce Lee was a great Martial Artist, actor, and a human being, his drug use does not make him any less..
In am one of Bruce Lee's greatest fans, I have followed he's life ever since 1973.this has not changed my admiration or respect in any way negatively.
All it has for me ,it reminds me that he was a human being.
To me me Bruce Lee shaped many of my personal characteristics. It made me us a boy learn many different systems of marital arts. Including Wing Chung.
I am not old enough to have experienced the 60s and 70s .But I do know a lot of people who tell me Every one was experimenting at some level during that period.
The fact to me is ,he was able to accomplish so much in such a short life .
And I know ather Martial artists around the world, will agree with me ,when I say .
Bruce is the King of Kung Fu.
All my life I have read everything he wrote.
And has even save my life.
Any one that knows me .
Knows what happened to me was no joke.
But the warrior that Bruce planted in me lives .
This letters show only that some people forget the word personal letters ,means
Private.
There will allways be some one trying to Cash in, At the expense of athers.
But it will not have the effect that some heaters think it will.
I stand loyal to Bruce's teachings philosophy and way of life.
God bless he's soul.
Yury Gomez ☯️.
He’s my childhood hero, I love him to death, unless some new revelation exposed him as Hong Kong’s Jack the Ripper. Now we see BL ‘s frailties, seems like every Superman has their krytonite.
It doesn’t change my love for him.
He’s still the most talented,respected, revered martial artist known to mankind.
It’s been nearly half a century since his passing, and like Mozart- greatness is timeless.
What it does teaches us is, even the best has their human frailties.
Love always, and miss you Bruce!
I’ll be in Seattle in a few days to pay my respects at Lakeview. It has always been on my bucket list.
Great comment
@@TheKungFuGenius -thanks Alex, guess we’re all a little surprised, or shocked, but reality bites! As for your talents, and knowledge of the martial arts- one word- Sifu!
thank you !!!
From what I understand- coke was nowhere near as taboo in the early 70s as it was later in the decade or the 80s, when the true nature of its abuse became clear. Probably why he never used coded words for it in the letters and probably why he didn't realise just how damaging these substances are for an athlete
He did a number of sketchy things. Drinking beef blood, electronic muscle stimulation, LSD, cortisone, ate hashish, mushrooms, anabolic steroids, diuretics, drank sake despite Linda saying he didn't touch alcohol, smoked grass and Chinese herbs.
dam the 80's
These are STUPID things.
I mean it was the 60’s-70’s. LSD and weed were all the rage. I can’t really be too surprised by the cocaine either.
Thanks for commenting
Gives new meaning to don’t concentrate on the finger, meaning himself but where the finger is pointing. He is still my primary inspiration in martial arts
thanks for commenting
I'm not least bit suprised honestly. He was a mega star with all kinds of pressures, stress and physical alments. Bruce knew what was doing for the most part. But when combined with his brutal training and diet, other substances. I can also, see how it effected his health at the end. I personally can understand bruces struggle with substance use, even if it wasn't those exact same ones. So no. It doesnt change how i view him. If anything i can relate to it. He could've easily been on opioids, from his back pain but it didnt appear in the letters. This was also the '70s and it was pretty common at that time also. The man was in pain and clearly struggling at times, he was still only human. No one is perfect, not even legends like bruce lee.
Great comment, thanks.
Bruce Lee and Jimi Hendrix art still take pride of place on my wall
Awesome!
That is awesome 👏🏿. They were next level.
I guess it just goes to show that we’re all human and we all have our issues and skeletons in the closet. We can judge all we want, but in the end, it was his life and I think it would be very difficult to dispute that he did it his way. Still the greatest and most charismatic martial artist I’ve ever seen. It further shows that everything has a price. May he rest in piece and i hope the Lee family doesn’t Cop a huge backlash from this. Excellent video too btw👍🏻
Thank you!
Why do you take a neutral stance? Why cant you just say what he did about using all these drugs was completely wrong, taking down with it his whole family...
Bruce is still the Man, we all have demons to conqueror. No one leaves this life unscathed. What he accomplished under those circumstances is extraordinary!
Agreed!
The man more like hero..
The fact that he may have been an international drug dealer just makes him even more awesome in my opinion 😆
He had a drug issue, just makes him human if everything is accurate. This also was the 70's, a lot of people didn't know the full harm of hard drugs, i also wouldn't be surprised if he started because of the back pain alone. A lot of people in chronic pain are forced to get illegal drugs because the pharmaceutical industry is so bad. We saw this with other entertainers who were highly physically active. Prince, Michael Jackson to just a name a few.
You dont take thousands of LSD "papers" as he called them for back pains.. neither cocaine.. cocaine is pretty bad for muscular pains because it keeps the muscles in tension. Morphine is a drug for back pains, not coke. His cocaine habit had nothing to do with his back pains. Coke only works as an anestesic locally, so the coke would simply make his pains worse....
@@Trikipum anesthetic you mean, and no my distant friend you are wrong. In fact Morphine is semi-synthetic because it’s chemically manufactured but is derived from an alkaloid found in the opium poppy. Which is basically heroine, Which can act as a pain killer, i work in the medical field, also was born into a family in the medical field. I say that to say, i've worked with a lot of people who used weed, heroine, or coke as a pain killer they TRULY were not drug seekers. This is also you assuming he ONLY suffered from back pain. These tests are online, even tho drugs like cocaine can kill you they also have psychoactive properties that can distract one from the pain. You'd be surprised how many people are addicted to drugs for LEGIT pain but the medical industry failed them. There are tribes that use poppy for pain.
The 1970s were drugs heavy and don't get me started with the 1980s.. Everybody was on drugs back in those decades.. No shame in that.. I'm just glad people seen what harm they do now.. people didn't know back then..
@@Trikipum coke can have some pain reducing properties. Jfk used coke quite a bit for it.
"... Just makes him human..." so he wasn't human before? Jaja, Bruce Lee fanboys are truly unique.
First of all, I would like to thank you for the great podcast. I only discovered it a few weeks ago and I catch up on old episodes almost every day.
I have now seen the video about the drug letters for the second time and would like to express my opinion. Because I do believe that Bruce Lee's addiction problem is medically based.
Everyone knows about his back injury. Apparently there was a second one, or the old problem kept coming back. Apparently the pain remained.
Bruce may have consumed cannabis to suppress the pain. That is also the reason why he needed the cannabis oil in such large quantities. Both are used in medicine today to treat pain.
Also the M pills mentioned. For me, the M stands for morphine. Also an attempt to fight his pain.
The disadvantage of both is that they make you very tired and exhausted. OK in the evening on the couch. But not really good for suppressing pain during training or filming.
Now we come to cocaine. That also suppresses pain. But it makes you more alert, more euphoric and you get the impression that you are more capable. And all of this also increases your dependency.
Bruce fought against his pain. His career was at stake and he might never have been able to practice martial arts again. As someone who had to give up his beloved Hung Gar because I developed osteoarthritis in my knees in my late 20s, I can really relate to it.
Want a modern example? Look at all the old WWE wrestlers! Almost all of them are on painkillers and/or addicted to drugs. Their bodies are so broken that they can't stand it any other way. Why should Bruce Lee be an exception? After all, his purpose in life, martial arts, was at stake.
Sorry for the long statement. Keep it up, your podcast is just great, I love it.
I’m really heartbroken because of this news Exposure, it’s tragic because Bruce in the final analysis… Did this to himself, and on July 20 1973 - life ceased to exist for BL.
His life is a star that blaze brightly among the backdropped of other stars, but dim quickly because the fuel got used up rapidly, but that star is forever etched in history.
Like you i'm a life long Bruce fan, since the early 70's. I just visted his Bel Air home last week, as it was my first time visiting California (I live in Philly). Injuring his back, striving to achieve a level of international stardom no asian had ever experience, and dealing with the trappings of stardom. Like Prince, Michael Jackson, Elvis and so many others...it starts as an attempt to easy the pain. Then it becomes a real problem. Bruce Lee was just a normal human being, who trained himself into being a superman...yet he never lost sight of the fact that he was always just a normal human being. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing! Every time I'm in LA I'm always too busy to go to his old home. Need to carve out more time next time! Great comment.
Hi Alex!. Really happy to find Your Channel, great content! thanks, Alex! I have already subscribed. Say hello to the family!
Glad you liked it! I’m eating with my family now!
@@TheKungFuGenius Embraces to them all.
There were a number of things done by celebrities during those eras. Bruce was a philanderer and a drug user who was still in phenomenal physical shape and an excellent publicist who had to deal with gang/triad affiliation, racism amongst other things. I still like his work and innovation.
He had to deal with triads and gangs lol, where do you get this shit lol
Great physical shape but died on his early 30s?? Really ?
@thekungfugenius thanks for posting this I had no clue and I've been a fan since the '60s when he played on The Green Hornet way before he made any of his movies I'm that old LOL... It doesn't change my view on the guy I still admire him everyone has their problems his was drugs which is unfortunate because now that we know that is probably what killed him. I had a friend here who was a cocaine user he wasn't that old when he had the exact same thing Bruce Lee had he died of an aneurysm in the brain cerebral edema. And it was caused from the cocaine so I am certain now that Is the way he died not the aspirin or the medication drugs that they were claiming. Again thanks for posting you got a new follower.. and I've done several recreations on Bruce Lee himself on my channel all digitally.
Morphine is not considered a drug in the olden days, even the ancient times. Its a powerful pain killer. And this helped Bruce Lee recover very well. So well that he's able to even be more capable then ever before.
These letters are mostly about cocaine, not morphine. M-pills are most likely not a reference to morphine, nor would it be the main revelation of these letters even if it was. I have extremely detailed notes about his doctor visits and the medication that he was taking, I’m not sure whose butt you pulled your “information” out of. He was in a lot of pain in the last three years of his life, and certainly not more capable than before. Don’t confuse his movies with reality.
First of all thanks a lot for doing this episode. In my humble opinion it's more as you said towards the end, "You were able to do all of that things and you were on all those drugs?!" As you said, after all it was the 60's and Bruce experimented a lot with a bunch of different things, for me this is just another "branch" of experimenting regarding pain relief and relaxing (CBD was not available at that time, as far as I know, I can imagine, that cannabis oil did probably the same trick).Some passages also show, that he definitely monitored, when to slow down with drug intake, so to me it looks like he knew about developing a habit, which is not beneficial in certain situations and he tried to get that under control. Anyways, all that things shouldn't diminish his achievements at all. Anyways, I am just an admirer who tried to "sneak" into his new movies in cinemas, when I was a kid. You guys now much better, after all your research. Again a huge thank you, Alex, especially for doing this in a very objective way!!! Regards from Bali, hope to see you again here, someday, when the situation gets better.
Thanks for commenting brother!
Thanks for doing the special episode Alex, it was very interesting! I had always believed Bruce didn’t do hard drugs because he was very health conscious but it was the 70s so I’m not too surprised. Nothing could ever take away what an incredibly amazing man he was and his gigantic contribution in promoting Martial Arts and Hong Kong Cinema. It’s a bit silly people need him to be both a badass and a saint.
100% agree with you. Also thank you for the great translations you provide on your channel as well!
@@TheKungFuGenius Thank you! I’m very happy you like them, I really enjoy your podcasts and learn lots of new information from them! You probably don’t need the subtitles anyway, your knowledge of Cantonese is good and have done plenty more research into Wing Chun than me.
You are too kind! My Cantonese is basic and barely passable…
@@TheKungFuGenius Haha at least you don’t call yourself Dai Sifu Kung Fu Genious!
I actually have a question but it’s one of those gossipy ones you don’t like. Do you know anything about the press conference written about in the article by Hsuan Kung Tse that you are able to share? Completely understand if it’s a topic you’d like to steer clear of, it does sound like a potential can of worms.
Are you talking about the successor event article? The one where everyone forgot who Leung Ting was?
Wow...I'm totally stunned. This explains Lee's intensity ...he was stoned out during his insane work outs and dramatics on camera and off!!!!
I've felt for a while that Lee's death was related to his drug use specifically PEDs especially after his back injury.
Watch for my John Little interview (part 2) coming out later today.
You feelings arent facts
Even I'm a Bruce Lee fan... Yet, I'm just NOW hearing about these letters coming out! 😳 Does this mean there are legal ramifications for Linda for lying on oath about the life insurance!?! Wondering why did they keep these letters anyways!? I'm sure Linda regrets putting her name on those letters!
I like the way you say "Holy STUFffss" 😂
ua-cam.com/video/uGfQdk6hJqE/v-deo.html
@@TheKungFuGenius 😂😂😂
Might give us more of a understanding of how he died. I’ve been a fan for many years and this doesn’t change a thing for me.
Agreed!
It should, confidence with the use of drugs and possible steroids is miss selling. It means using drugs masks insecurity and mental weakness.
Arnold used drugs...made him a winner!!!
He was probably using coke to stay awake and weed to fall asleep.
Exactly
If life insurance and a butler fall guy (of which we don't for sure know of the arrangement/understanding) is the worst of it all...
...this latest reveal is pretty tame for a 70's Hollywood/pop/sport icon. So, I can lol at the funny references/drug euphemisms:
- Holy Stuffs, You've been down too long in the midnight sea...
- "Bob, Bruce needs to go snow skiiing asap, the cold air helps his aching back." - Linda
Not all that glitters is gold. He was human....fucked up in some areas....a genius in another.
Great comment
No one is perfect!
B
This explains why he looked so strange on Enter the Dragon. It also explains his level of exercise intensity. He exercise WAY too much. Probably fueled by the cocaine. Exercise intensity fueled by cocaine led to him hurting his back. It all makes sense.
Your assessment about why he looked the way he looked in ETD is spot on. However, the timeline on the back injury is off, his back injury predates his use of cocaine.
As they say, 'with great power comes great responsibility', but also greater access to drugs.
I was already aware of this to a degree. He was a real human being who had great achievements and great tragedy.
Psilocybin isn't a designer drug. It is basically the compound found in shrooms. However, I suspect you already knew that 🙏🏽👍🏽
Bruce having his sweat glands removed can be viewed in a different light now 👀
Many things can be viewed differently now!
@@TheKungFuGenius 👀
Enter the [ DRUG on ]
" its like a finger pointn to the COKE SPOON "
I’m surprised the Memes haven’t started yet
Never meet your heroes. Drugs are so rampant in the US and easily accessible especially in elite circles whether business, sports, politics, or the arts. RIP Bruce. You inspired so many and became a legend but at the end of the day you were still human. Even from the grave you continue to teach us.
Don't meet em, or if you do, be prepared for them to be human, as in, not without weaknesses.
This explains his use of thumb to nose action! Clearing sinuses! 😀
Good one
I always thought Bruce was using harder drugs based on the way he started to look. I remember reading about the paranoia several times. I am not surprised. Like you said it was the 60's and 70's. If anything this sheds light on a lot of my suspicion's over the years. Chronic pain is hell. I feel bad for Shannon and Linda. My opinion has not changed on him either. He will always be an innovator who was ahead of his time.
Thanks for commenting
It was the 60 and 70s...everyone was getn high
Bruce is just experimenting. Many artists do experiment with drugs to help with creativity or to come up with something new. Bruce now is a huge star at this point and has the money to get drugs. He wasn't a monk. You don't know if Bruce was addicted. Makes Bruce even cooler to me. 😎
There were 50 letters in a six year period, the lion share of them in the last two years. The letters are dated and many of them are a month or less apart asking for more C. In March of 1973 they had ONE order that was $500. Calling that experimenting is… generous.
The drug use and possible steroid use destroys the mythos. Bruce sold his personal as being soley created by mental strength which is a lie. However he is still a hero and should not be seen as a perfect man. His whole philisophy was build on mental strenth not cocaine filled confidence.
@@TheKungFuGenius I see your point but Bruce was enjoying his fame. Who's to say he wasn't having parties with friends? The ladies? It was the early 70's and attitudes towards cocaine use was quite different back then. It kept the party going. Many thought it wasn't even addictive back then. Today we know it is addictive and not good for your health if over used. I wouldn't condone its use to anyone but everyone travels their own path. Respect your channel and your opinion.
no wonder he was super human FAST!!!
I'm getting some coke for self defence purposes!....
This makes me see Bruce Lee in a whole new light. He is way more awesome than I could've imagined! He is a human being after all, Rest In Power🐉. . .🤩🐲👊💥💯
Great viewpoint
I also grew up anamoured by Bruce Lee and having his posters on my walls. Clearly Bruce Lee was not mediocre in his skill and philosophy but as a teacher he espoused mental and physical discipline while not really following it himself. We were told he was the best martial artist in the whole world then and even today people still think this. He is held up as the ultimate example of Kung Fu. I'm sure there are plenty of brilliant martial artist better than him who haven't taken drugs. Even then and in the '60s and '70's but the myth has to be kept alive because there is an industry around it and it's a lucrative one. Basically money to be made. Like because it's that time you have to take drugs. It would be great to know how Elvis considered Bruce Lee since he hated illegal drug users but ultimately ended up dying on prescription drugs years later in '77. He was made out to be a God to look up to based on his movies and acting from childhood of which he had alot of experience. Although he never won a world title like Ali, Tyson,Don Wilson and Benny 'the jet' Urquides etc Are we saying it's ok to take drugs to achieve high heights in sports,music etc. That's normally called cheating not only the public but themselves and they've paid the ultimate price. Look at former Tour de France World Champion Lance ( the name escapes me at mo') and 100m sprinter Ben Johnson for example. Bruce Lee wasn't as good as he was made out to be although he was to his credit instrumental in modern martial arts Most likely he could have been better andnd lived to see his dream bear fruit had he not got caught up in drugs. It's taken this long to find out. In Shannon Lee's documentary we were told it was as a result of a blow to the head from nunchaku practice which went untreated in a bid to look faster on screen in Enter The Dragon. Unlike Any Winehouse Bruce Lee hid it well which is shocking. Unfortunately " the fans" will never acknowledge this to keep their idols myth alive which was clearly used to keep the money coming in, understandably at the sudden loss. Don't judge, what have you achieved? Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Anger at an opinion on their god who was perfection. Well, even god's, have feet of clay.
Anabolic Steroids were legal back then and so was blood doping, and Finland's Greatest Long Distance Runner Lasse Viren won Gold Medals in the 5K & 10K at the 1972 Olympics & Gold Medals in the 5K & 10K at the 1976 Olympics. And if you think that the greatest Olympic Sprinter of all-time, Usaine Bolt was clean, then i got some swamp land in Florida to sell you. The fact that Bruce Lee used weed & hash oil & mushrooms and MDMA is not surprising considering it was the 60s & early 70s.
I am surprised that he used cocaine because he had a prior heart condition and because it makes you paranoid if you are addicted to it. I'm certainly not going to judge him, we don't even know if it contributed towards his death.
Still a huge Bruce Lee fan, but when you said at the end that he was apparently "a pioneer of many things", I died 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Thanks for finding humor in this!
Is that why he rubbed the side of his nose before he fought?
So bruce and linda committed a big crime with his life insurance...
So, why isn't she getting sued by now!?!?!!!
"Linda Lee committing perjury during that inquest" thank God for the statue of limitations 😅
Yup
Shocked. Truly shocked. However, I do agree, in a matter of fairness and honesty, one has to be able to separate the individual from his accomplishments.
100%
After this revelation I don't look at Bruce Lee differently... just slightly. The fact he was knowingly willing to pin any legal issues on his Butler, really shows how the drugs fucked him up in the brain.
Hi KFG just wanted to say, you have found something very interesting to say the least. We now know something about his life, struggles, let’s not forget, this was a very young man, specially in the late 60’s an early 70’s. Drugs were everywhere with the stars. I am sure he Loved acid and Hash. But we now have a more complete idea of his last years. He struggled so much after his injury…reason of some kind, the pain management must of been HELL for him. I liked the way you presented this BOMB, and like you said. Being older, we have a better understanding of his life and CHALLENGES. Thank you for this information delivered with a lot of HEART ❤️👍😎💙🇺🇦
Thank you for that great comment!