'Kung Fu' star David Carradine has died

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[Linda Eskin]

"Actor David Carradine, who starred in the series "Kung Fu" and films such as "Kill Bill," was found dead in a Bangkok hotel room yesterday, his manager told the Post."

http://www.nypost.com/seven/06042009/news/worldnews/kung_fu_star_david_carradine_has_died_172561.htm

Very sad. :( I'm sure I'm not the only 40-something geek who found inspiration in the ''Kung Fu' TV series. Must go re-watch some episodes, if I can find them online.

Linda

[Ron Tisdale]

Wow, just heard he may have hung himself. Shame.

Best,
Ron

[MM]

He had some memorable parts and roles. Like Seagal and Lee, he certainly sparked interest in the martial arts from his movies and TV shows. Sad news that he's gone.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001016/bio


Every day, at least six people will come up to me and say, "Your show ["Kung Fu" (1972)] changed my life".

[ninjaqutie]

How crazy is that!?! I read it this morning. It is truly a shame.

[Randy Sexton]

I recall the lessons that Grasshopper learned along the path. I recall the lessons He taught us as a grown man about love, kindness, and mercy. The lessons He taught to be strong and brave and face our fears.

Tonight Darkness fills my soul and I feel the loss of a beloved Sensei.

Tomorrow when I train I will step on the mat and ask God to be merciful and bow my head for one minute in silence in respect to the loss of a teacher to millions. Who taught all of us from the current youth to my generation in our fifties.

To David Carradine I say:
Domo Arigato Gozaimashita Carradine Semsei

Doc

[dps]

'Kung Fu' was one of my favorite television shows.

Having watched David Carridine act on tv and in movies there is no doubt that he was a very good and versatile actor. Martial artist not so good. He knew no martial arts when he got the part and tried karate during the filming of the tv show but did not progress far. He had a drug problem that created some production problems. If I remember right it was David Chow the technical director and kung fu advisor who guided Carridine throught the fight scenes and the expression of the philosophy.

I think well after the tv show he learned Tai Chi.

Chuck Norris starred with him in the movie 'Lone Wolf McQuade' and said that Carridine was as good as a martial artist as he ( Norris) was as an actor.

It is truely sad about his passing.

David

[Linda Eskin]

I hang out on Twitter, and it's very interesting to see the nearly universal outpouring of sadness and respect. "David Carradine" has been one of the top Trending Topics since yesterday, and still is. (276 more 'tweets' since I started writing this note.)

Younger people mention 'Kill Bill' but most make some respectful reference to the 'Kung Fu' series, like "RIP Grasshopper" or "Maybe he was able to take the pebble." People are discussing how he might have died, but I don't believe I've seen anyone say anything unkind about the guy. Many mention that he sparked in them an interest in martial arts. He was the John Wayne of my generation - defending the weak and fighting for right in the Old West, and always a gentleman.

[brUNO]

"... I'm sure I'm not the only 40-something geek who found inspiration in the ''Kung Fu' TV series. Must go re-watch some episodes, if I can find them online
Linda,
Yes, I too never missed an episode of Kung Fu, as a child. I'm sure somewhere on cable they will be running the series again very soon! Will Ferrel just did the "Land of the Lost" remake and I saw the original Kroft Brother's series of FX just yesterday. Hold your breath, it won't be long!

It made me sad when I read it yesterday, also. His career was going pretty well, too. In fact he was in Beijing making a movie. I had just watched "Big Stan" (...not bad) the night before and thought "WOW, it's great that he's still making movies and has the sense of humor to poke fun at himself."

Shocker, for sure. I think if he was going to kill himself, he would have done it before now, unless he found out he had a fatal disease? I'd be interested to see what the investigation finds out/reveals.

Thanks for posting, I was gonna post it, but held off.

[lbb]

Shocker, for sure. I think if he was going to kill himself, he would have done it before now, unless he found out he had a fatal disease? I'd be interested to see what the investigation finds out/reveals.
Apparently there's some indication that suicide was not at all his intention.

[Aikibu]

It appears to be a case of asphyxiophilia gone wrong. When I was in the service We had a guy die in the barracks the exact same way.

William Hazen

[brUNO]

Oh, like the guy frim INXS did? I can't remember his name off hand. That makes more sense.

Dang, I think I'll stick with dressing-up-like-Rambo to make my sexlife more exciting.:cool:
"YO!"

[Lulu]

I mourn the passing of David Carradine because he really meant something to me.

The tv show Kung Fu made a huge impact on me when I was young- in ways that I didn't even realize at the time.
Some have said that he wasn't really a Martial Artist, but I do believe that he was indeed.

He got the part because of his dance experience and could replicate the moves. And eventually - he was inspired to explore Chinese Philosophy, Tai Chi and Kung Fu.

He was also a wonderful actor. He had me convinced that he was indeed half Chinese! I was young at the time, but it does speak to his abilities.

But most of all he inspired me and I am sure thousands of others to think beyond our Western Society and learn about Eastern Martial Arts and Philosophy.

When I decided to start training a Martial Art, I couldn't find Kung Fu. Instead I was very lucky to find Kyokushin Karate and I stepped into that Dojo as an thirty-something adult because of David Carradine and "Kung Fu".

I trained for quite awhile but would never admit that it was a tv shoiw that had inspired me to join, until one day asking one of my Senseis why he "took up Karate" , and he replied - "remember that tv show Kung Fu" ? I realized then that I wasn't the only one!

I found Aikido while still training Karate and trained both for some time, but now I am only training Aikido and it is because of a man who made a difference in my life.