What was the cause of David Carradine's death?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the circumstances surrounding the death of actor David Carradine, who was found dead in a Bangkok hotel room. Participants explore various theories regarding the cause of his death, including suicide, autoerotic asphyxiation, and the concept of "death with dignity." The conversation touches on personal reflections, media reports, and the implications of his death in relation to his life and career.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants mention media reports suggesting Carradine committed suicide, while others express disbelief given his public persona.
  • There is speculation about the nature of his death, with some proposing it could be related to autoerotic stimulation gone wrong, though this remains unconfirmed.
  • Participants question the circumstances of his being found unclothed and hanging, raising doubts about the motivations behind such actions.
  • Some suggest that Carradine's death could be viewed through the lens of euthanasia or "death with dignity," while others challenge this notion, arguing that it does not align with the details of his life.
  • References are made to Carradine's past behaviors and lifestyle, with anecdotes shared about his eccentricities and public incidents.
  • There are conflicting views on whether his death was a tragic accident or a deliberate act, with some emphasizing the lack of a definitive conclusion from authorities.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions, with no consensus on the cause of Carradine's death. The discussion remains unresolved, with multiple competing theories and perspectives presented.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the absence of an autopsy report and the reliance on media speculation, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding the details of Carradine's death.

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Wow, he seemed like the last person to kill themselves.
 
Sadly a bit of a reprise of his role in Kill Bill.

Whatever the demons they are at rest.

RIP.
 
For anyone who followed the recent thread on euthanasia, is it possible that Carradine is just another case of a pre-emptive death with dignity? That's not the only possible reason, another might be debt/bankruptcy, but the question is why?
 
The reports I read stated that he was found unclothed, hanging in the closet. I find that odd...if a person was going to commit suicide, why would he strip naked?

Now, it is difficult for me to get into the head of a person in that situation...but I don't understand that.
 
lisab said:
The reports I read stated that he was found unclothed, hanging in the closet. I find that odd...if a person was going to commit suicide, why would he strip naked?

Now, it is difficult for me to get into the head of a person in that situation...but I don't understand that.
Why would they get dressed?
 
ExactlySolved said:
For anyone who followed the recent thread on euthanasia, is it possible that Carradine is just another case of a pre-emptive death with dignity? That's not the only possible reason, another might be debt/bankruptcy, but the question is why?

How is hanging yourself in a closet a dignified death?

Like most suicides it leaves everyone wondering why. Especially someone with such a seemingly great life.
 
lisab said:
The reports I read stated that he was found unclothed, hanging in the closet. I find that odd...if a person was going to commit suicide, why would he strip naked?

Now, it is difficult for me to get into the head of a person in that situation...but I don't understand that.

Ever hear of Michael Hutchence? The lead singer from INXS. Carradine was a little old , but I found it odd in the Wikipedia that though he was found hanging in a closet

Carradine's representative and family members told the press that they believed the death to be accidental and not a suicide

Either way, I guess it's not my place to speculate. Kill Bill 2 was awesome and I grew up watching Kung Fu, the Legend Continues.

May he rest in peace.
 
drankin said:
How is hanging yourself in a closet a dignified death?

The idea behind 'death with dignity' is that killing oneself is more dignified than living with the disabilities of old age and be taken care of by others.
 
  • #10
Wow, I didn't realize that Carradine was in Boxcar Bertha. Seeing it now is obvious but I had never made the connection. That movie was most memorable for me because of the setting: I was on vacation in South Dakota and went to the drive-in with a really wild and much older drunk cousin who fed me and my other cousin booze, and who drove 100 mph+ on country dirt roads. It was my first wild night out.

Yep, drinkin, drivin fast, and watchin dirty movies, now that's the life.

Mom and Dad never knew about that one. :biggrin: Dad would have killed us all!
 
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  • #11
ExactlySolved said:
The idea behind 'death with dignity' is that killing oneself is more dignified than living with the disabilities of old age and be taken care of by others.

Mr Carradine could certainly afford to live a dignified life in assisted living. Hanging naked in a closet just doesn't strike me as death with dignity. Anyhow, I doubt that is the reasoning. He seems to have been very mobile and able to care for himself up until his death.
 
  • #12
Uh, we don't even know what happened. Could you keep the euthansia debate in the appropriate thread?
 
  • #13
There are some rumors suggesting it was not a suicide but more of an attempt at autoerotic stimulation gone wrong. An autopsy has not been performed yet, so these are still rumors. Some mainstream media sources are also dodging around quoting people as saying he wasn't suicidal and this was in the middle of filming a movie, things were going well for him, etc., so it seems while they won't report the rumors, they too are leaving open the possibility it was not a suicide.

Whatever the case, he'll be missed. I enjoyed the characters he played, especially in Kung Fu.
 
  • #14
He was a bit of a fruit. How he got picked for "Kung Fu" over Bruce Lee is anyone's guess (obviously racially motivated, but still). Still, it is a death of a b-movie icon. Dead in Bangkok sounds awfully fishy to me...almost like the plot of a b-movie.

Did anyone ever see the movie that was posted of him trying to sell that rubber hose posing as exercise equipment? It was on here a while ago. I can't remember who posted it. Hillarious.
 
  • #15
Moonbear said:
There are some rumors suggesting it was not a suicide but more of an attempt at autoerotic stimulation gone wrong.

It wouldn't surprise me, really. He was always pretty exotic. I remember one incident where he had taken LSD, broke into someone's house, and proceeded to play the piano while spreading blood everywhere. I think that's the point where the cops walked in.
 
  • #16
There seems to be more available about his death from all sides:
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=7763422&page=1
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,525192,00.html
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ipVUX_BySIOm7FCTgbyATYx9NrywD98KJDBO0

Apparently a complicated life.
 
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  • #17
That's a sad news
 
  • #18
FredGarvin said:
Still, it is a death of a b-movie icon.

Not at all. It was the death of Grasshopper - Kwai Chang Caine. :cry:
 
  • #19
Endless Highway (Hardcover)
by David Carradine

Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
...Carradine tried to kill himself when he was five. Later, his drunken mother, confusing him with his long-departed father, tried to seduce him. Schooling consisted of one expulsion after another. The high point of his acting career came in the early 1970s with Kung Fu, a popular TV series. As recorded here, the rest of his adult life is remembered in terms of LSD, pot, peyote, cocaine, alcohol, unsuccessful films, cars, horses, wives and wandering children...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1885203209/?tag=pfamazon01-20
 
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  • #20
Ivan Seeking said:
It wouldn't surprise me, really. He was always pretty exotic. I remember one incident where he had taken LSD, broke into someone's house, and proceeded to play the piano while spreading blood everywhere. I think that's the point where the cops walked in.

I never paid any attention to anything about his private life (I'm not much of a fan of celebrity gossip) so had no idea about how wild of a person he really was. I really just know his character from Kung Fu best, and really enjoyed that show.

If this really had something to do with autoerotic asphyxiation, then all I can say is I hope he died happy. You'd think there were already enough news stories of people dying from that to warn off others. There has to be some other way they can get pleasure that's safer...hold their breath or something.
 
  • #21
Moonbear said:
I never paid any attention to anything about his private life (I'm not much of a fan of celebrity gossip) so had no idea about how wild of a person he really was. I really just know his character from Kung Fu best, and really enjoyed that show.

His shenanigans were local news where I grew up. :biggrin:
 
  • #22
Moonbear said:
I never paid any attention to anything about his private life (I'm not much of a fan of celebrity gossip) so had no idea about how wild of a person he really was. I really just know his character from Kung Fu best, and really enjoyed that show.

If this really had something to do with autoerotic asphyxiation, then all I can say is I hope he died happy. You'd think there were already enough news stories of people dying from that to warn off others. There has to be some other way they can get pleasure that's safer...hold their breath or something.

I was listening to news about it on the radio on the way to work. If the information they had was correct then the forensic evidence would suggest he apparently enjoyed his last act. The manner in which he was tied up (including tying of the genitals) was pretty obviously for purposes of gratification. Somewhere online someone apparently found and uploaded a copy of testimony from the divorce proceedings between him and his last wife which cites, among other reason for divorce, his preference for an unnamed sexual practice which his wife considered too dangerous to participate in.

The sad part of it is that his family is so embarassed by this they are insisting that there be an investigation into the possibility of murder and won't even comment on the AEA theory. They state that he obviously could not have tied his own hands behind his back (which is untrue, people who practice this often tie themselves up and this sort of thing happens) so someone else must have been there and must be responsible for his death.
 

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