The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.
- Saint Augustine

Bruce Lee was born on 27 November 1940 and died on 20 July 1973 at the age of 32 of cerebral edema. This happened three weeks before the opening of the phenomenally successful Enter the Dragon, for which he had put aside the unfinished Game of Death. It is said that towards the end he knew he was dying after collapsing three months earlier during a dubbing session for the film. In the years since his death, Enter the Dragon has made - by some accounts - $200 million. 20 years later, on 31 March 1993, Brandon Lee died in the New Hanover Regional Medical Centre in Wilmington, North-Carolina, 12 hours after a shooting accident on the set of The Crow. He was 28. Filming had started on February 1, his birthday. He was buried on Saturday, April 3, in Seattle's Lakeview Cemetary, next to his father. He seems to have been very aware of his mortality, which would have been natural enough given his father's early death in spite of his legendary fitness, as well as the subject matter of Brandon's final film. Each is the centre of cultish devotion.

Brandon had turned down the title role in the biopic Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, deciding on that of Eric Draven instead, feeling uncomfortable at the thought of playing his own father. (The role went to Jason Scott Lee, who played it splendidly - though the film itself is mostly devoid of facts.) The Crow was simply streets ahead of any film Brandon had been in previously. It is apparent from watching it that he gave it his all - his dedication and commitment shines from every frame he is in. I am always astonished anew when I watch it again: repeat viewings uncover the remarkable depth to which he inhabits the character, giving Eric Draven a complexity absent from the script.

He was very proud of the film, and justly so - it was his first confident step towards greater things. (He had signed a multi-picture deal with Carolco, who released Total Recall and Basic Instinct.) For both father and son their crowning achievement came at the end of their lives - sadly, though both knew that they had done something special, they were never to experience the fruits of these labours. At least Bruce saw a rough cut of Enter the Dragon before he died. In 1978 Game of Death was finally released, consisting of scenes cobbled together from footage shot by Lee for Game of Death, scenes from his older films, and new scenes with doubles, directed by Robert Clouse. The film now dealt with an actor who fakes his death on a movie set, letting people think that he was shot and killed for real. It is only worth watching for the Game of Death footage Bruce shot. In 1981 came True Game of Death (Tower of Death). Enough said. In May 1994 The Crow was released, with images of its late star computer-manipulated for some scenes and the actor doubled in others. It made $100 million, and was followed by a sequel which fell far short of its predecessor. A third film is scheduled for release this year.

Brandon and Bruce Lee lie buried next to each other in Lake View Cemetary, Capitol Hill, in Seattle. (This is also the last resting place of astronomer Carl Sagan.) According to the site, their graves are visited by a veritable pilgrimage of fans and admirers coming to pay their last respects: "Only the grave of rock legend Jimi Hendrix, in Greenwood Cemetery in suburban Renton, prompts the same sort of devoted pilgrimages to Seattle".

There are quite a few sites and individuals alleging that Brandon was killed deliberately and even offer "proof" of this. Brandon died in an unfortunate shooting accident - the conspiracy theorists are just spouting their usual hogwash. Neither Brandon nor Bruce Lee was the victim of foul play or a family curse. Brandon was killed by a chain of careless acts and coincidences. Bruce died of natural causes. Period.

Further reading: the best book on Brandon is the Baiss book detailing the making of The Crow; there are also many articles devoted to him. For a very incomplete list of written material on him and his father, click here. I will be adding more. The Brandon Lee documentary made by E contains rare footage and photos of Brandon and interviews with various people, including his mother and sister. Read my review of it here.

I have a great deal of information on the Lees, but it's very time-consuming putting it online. I have this unreasonable boss who wants me to spend my time working for him rather :-). Though it does get updated regularly some sections, mostly Bruce Lee ones, are still pretty under-populated.

Join the Bruce and Brandon Lee Assocation (send a self-addressed envelope):

B.B.L.A.,
P.O. Box 25,
Horsforth,
Leeds.
LS18 5TG
ENGLAND

Or: check out their website.