Bill's Farewell

Just read the news, David Carradine (73) was found dead at his room at the Hotel on Wireless Road, near Sukhumvit entertainment area in central Bangkok, Thailand. First reports were he took his own life.

An article in today's Bangkok Post indicates he overdid auto-erotic asphyxiation. I googled the term and was astonished to learn it really works... And - maybe important for his widow - insurance companies regard such deaths as accidental, not suicide.

As usual in C.'s bio, the good, the bad and the ugly seem to mix in generous portions. He, a vaguely Asian looking Caucasian, was the front Kung Fu Fighting figure for a US public that was "not yet ready for an Asian leading actor" in the 1970s ("Kung Fu"), acted with world-class directors M.Scorcese ("Boxcar Bertha"), I. Bergman ("The Serpent's Egg"), and, unforgettably, Q. Taranino ("Kill Bill" Vol 1 + 2). I loved his appearance in H. Ashby's "Bound for Glory". But, as he acted in 200 something movies, he did a lot of visual trash as well ("Lone Wulf McQuade")...
But I'll always remember him as a tough, controlled guy, a Western adaption of Oriental wisdom and martial arts. Ah, those five final steps in "Kill Bill 2".