Half a century later, Spanish scientists have claimed to have uncovered the real cause of popular actor Bruce Lee’s death. After analyzing his lifestyle in the months leading up to his passing, testimonies from those close to him, and autopsy reports, they concluded that excessive water consumption was to blame.
Bruce Lee, the American actor and martial artist, died in Hong Kong in 1973 at the age of 32. The circumstances surrounding his sudden death have long sparked controversy and speculation.
On July 20, Lee and his producer visited the home of Hong Kong actress Betty Ting, where he spent some time, reportedly consumed marijuana, and later began to feel dizzy after drinking some water around 7:30 p.m. Betty gave him a tablet of Equagesic—a medication he had used before, which contains both aspirin and the tranquilizer meprobamate. After taking it, Bruce went to lie down and was found unconscious two hours later. Despite efforts to revive him, he was declared dead at the hospital.
The autopsy revealed he died from cerebral edema—his brain weighed 1,575 grams, far above the normal 1,400 grams. Marijuana was found in his stomach, and the cause of death was initially attributed to an adverse reaction to Equagesic.
However, researchers led by Priscilla Villalvazo from the Autonomous University of Madrid questioned this conclusion. They noted that Lee took the drug after experiencing symptoms of swelling and had used it before without issues.
“If the cause had been a drug allergy, cerebral edema wouldn’t have been the only sign during the autopsy,” the researchers argued.
Other possible causes that have been proposed in the past include epileptic seizure (though no signs, like a bitten tongue, were found) and heatstroke.
After analyzing all available information, the scientists proposed that hyponatremia—a condition in which the sodium level in the blood drops below 135 mmol/L—was the true cause of the fatal brain swelling. Sodium is a vital electrolyte that helps regulate water levels in and around cells. When a person drinks excessive amounts of water, especially over time, and the kidneys can’t flush it out quickly enough, cells can swell, leading to potentially deadly consequences.
Lee’s case fits this scenario. While a single large dose of water wouldn’t have killed him, his habitual overconsumption of fluids likely contributed. The article notes he often avoided solid food, living mostly on carrot and apple juice in his final months. This extreme liquid diet could explain his rapid weight loss from May to July 1973.
Additionally, friends observed that Lee had begun drinking large quantities of alcohol, sometimes consuming 10–12 bottles of sake in one evening. Cannabis use also increased his thirst, leading to more fluid intake—even on the day of his death.
Notably, Lee had experienced a similar health scare on May 10, just two months prior, after smoking cannabis and taking a bath. He collapsed and was hospitalized, with cerebral edema diagnosed then as well.
“We believe Bruce Lee died from a specific form of kidney dysfunction—an inability to eliminate enough water to maintain fluid balance,” the researchers concluded. “This likely led to hyponatremia, brain swelling, and death within hours if his water intake exceeded what his kidneys could handle.”
They added: “Ironically, while Lee is famous for saying ‘Be water, my friend’, it may have been water itself that ultimately ended his life.”
