The Traumatic Life and Shocking Death of 'Kung Fu' Actor David Carradine: 15 Years Later

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In the history of Hollywood, actor David Carradine, who died in 2009 from accidental asphyxiation, had always been a controversial figure.

As the star of TV's mystic Eastern/Western Kung Fu (ABC, 1972-1975), Carradine, then in his mid-30s, was a bohemian type who didn't think twice about showing up barefoot on TV talk shows.

The son of acting legend John Carradine, David had abused alcohol for several years before finally entering rehab and becoming sober at 59.

Initial Disorderly Contact

While Kung Fu was in production, circa 1974, Carradine was arrested (for the fourth time) for attempted burglary and malicious mischief. While under the influence of peyote, a nude Carradine began meandering around his Laurel Canyon area.

He broke into a neighbor's residence, shattered a window, and sliced his arm. He then bled all over a piano and assailed two young women (one more than the other, while demanding she acknowledge that she was a witch).

Law enforcement followed the trail of blood to his home. The burglary charges were dropped; no items were discovered stolen, Carradine pleaded "no contest" to the mischief charge and was granted probation.

Though the actor was never officially charged with assault, the young woman sued him for $1.1 million and was awarded $20,000.

The Legend Continued

Twenty years later, in December 1994, while working on Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (a sequel to The Original Series), David Carradine was arrested for breaking a glass window at Rogers Center (formerly Skydome) in Toronto. He claimed he did this to avoid being mobbed by fans after a concert by The Rolling Stones.

In his autobiography, Endless Highway, published in 1995, Carradine said his father's wife had a series of miscarriages and discovered that she had repeated illegal abortions without his knowledge. As a result, she was unable to carry a baby to full term.

It was with this backdrop of marital discord that, at age 5, Carradine nearly succeeded in committing suicide by hanging.

His Death Decades Later

On May 31, 2009, David Carradine arrived in Bangkok, Thailand to work on the movie, Stretch. He was last seen alive on June 3 and then failed to appear for a meal with the film crew, who were unable to contact or locate him.

The next day, Carradine was found dead and naked in his room at the Swissôtel Nai Lert Park Hotel. Authorities initially said the actor had hanged himself in the room's closet with a curtain cord; that he had expired 12 hours before, and that there was no sign of struggle.

Thai law enforcement suggested his demise may have resulted from accidental suffocation due to auto-erotic asphyxiation, as there was no suicide note and he was found with a rope tied to both his neck and his genitals.

Thai authorities conducted the initial autopsy on Carradine's body following his demise, noting on June 8 that a full investigation would require one month to determine the cause of death. However, a Thai police colonel told Reuters that the likely cause was asphyxiation.

On July 1, 2009, Michael Baden, the medical examiner hired by Carradine's family to conduct his independent autopsy of the body, said he succumbed to asphyxiation. According to Baden's examination, how the body was bound ruled out suicide.