MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES
'Kung Fu' star Carradine dead
- Published: 5/06/2009 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: News
American actor David Carradine has been found dead in a closet in a hotel room in Bangkok.
Carradine: Golden Globe winner
Police have not confirmed whether he took his own life or was murdered.
The naked body of the 72-year-old actor was found by a housekeeper in a closet in room number 352 of Swissotel Nai Lert Park Hotel in the Lumpini area at 11am yesterday.
Lumpini police said the body of Carradine was found curled up inside the wardrobe with one end of a shoelace tied around his penis and the other end fastened around his neck.
Both of his hands were bound with a cord which was also tied around his neck, said an officer at the station who requested anonymity.
Forensic experts said Carradine had probably died between 12 and 24 hours before his body was found.
They said there were no injury marks on his body and no evidence of a struggle having taken place in the room. Mysteriously, a footprint found on the bed did not match the shoes worn by Carradine.
There was a glass of water in the room. Experts were checking to see if the drink had been tampered with.
Police refused to give further details, saying they needed to gather more evidence to determine the cause of death.
Carradine was in Bangkok to star in a new movie, Strand.
He arrived with a film crew in Bangkok and checked in at the hotel a few days ago.
He rose to fame in the TV series Kung Fu, which ran from 1972 to 1975, playing Kwai Chang Caine, a monk and martial arts expert who roamed the American West.
He went on to win a Golden Globe best actor award for his role in the movie Bound for Glory, the life story of folk singer Woody Guthrie, in 1976.
He also starred in the Quentin Tarantino films Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Kill Bill: Vol. 2, made in 2003 and 2004.
About the author
- Writer: WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM
