Suicide unlikely in Carradine's death

David Carradine's death does not appear to have been a suicide, a former New York City chief medical examiner asked by Carradine's family to do an independent examination of the 72-year-old actor's body said Thursday.

However, he said that more information is needed from Thai investigators to determine the true cause of death.

"To reach a final determination as to the cause and the manner of death, we must wait for further information from Thailand as to the scene findings and the completion of the crime laboratory and toxicology studies that are still being performed," Dr. Michael Baden said in a statement.

Baden said he expects to receive more information from Thai authorities in a week or two and stressed that the information at hand was incomplete.

Carradine was found dead in his Bangkok hotel room on June 4. Although police initially believed the Kung Fu and Kill Bill star committed suicide, they later said it could have been accidental. Their description of the crime scene--that the actor's body was found nude, with ropes around his neck, wrist and genitals--fueled speculation that he was killed while engaging in a dangerous sex practice called auto-erotic asphyxiation. Others suspect foul play.

Sources: The Associated Press, NPR News, US magazine
Copyright © 2009

Carradine's family calls for FBI probe

Master Kan (left) imparts wisdom on aspiring Shaolin monk Kwai Chang Caine (David Carradine) in Kung Fu, the hit TV series from the 70s that made him famous.

The family of David Carradine is asking the FBI to investigate the mysterious death of the 72-year-old actor, who was found Thursday morning hanging in the closet of his Bangkok hotel room with ropes around his neck and genitals, suggesting that he may have accidentally died while performing autoerotic asphyxiation.

Thai Police said Carridine likely committed suicide, but his family and co-manager, Tiffany Smith, are vehemently refuting those reports, claiming foul play might be involved . "All I can tell you is that David did not commit suicide," Simth told US magazine. "I can tell you that 100 percent. He would never commit suicide."

Following an autopsy, the body of the Kung Fu star was released into U.S. Embassy custody to be flown home. It is being transported to the U.S. on a United Airlines flight that left Bangkok at 6:50 a.m. Saturday, according Thai press reports.

Smith told CNN that a second autopsy will be conducted in the U.S. at the urging of the actor's family. "They're doing everything possible to get to the bottom of what really happened." The results of the autopsy performed in Bankok won't be known for three weeks.

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said the agency only gets involved in death investigations overseas if a crime is suspected. In the case of Carradine, that has yet to be determined.

Thai police claim that surveillance footage showed no one entering Carradine's hotel room prior to his death and he was apparently the only one who used a keycard to access the room.

The family's lawyer expressed outrage over a photo of Carradine's hanging body that was printed in a Thai tabloid and vowed to pursue legal action against any U.S. publication that uses the image.

I saw the photo, and the man shown in it does not look like Carradine at all. For one, the man a full head of black hair, and Carradine's was all white. Plus there's no way the room shown is that of a five-star hotel, which reportedly was the type of hotel where Carradine was staying. Hmm...

Sources: US magazine, CNN, AP
Copyright © 2009

Sex game may have killed Carradine

Earlier today (12:05 p.m. on this page) it was reported that actor David Carradine, 72, was found dead in his hotel room in Bangkok Thursday and that given the circumstances in which the body was found suicide was a possible cause of death.

Since then, additional details about the case have emerged, among them that he may have died as a result of a sex game gone wrong.

Thai police have taken back their position that Carradine likely died as a result of a suicide, BNO news reported.

According to the Bangkok Post, the actor was found naked, 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, an unnamed police officer told the newspaper.

Forensic experts have also reportedly found a footprint on the bed which did not match the shoes worn by the actor and a glass of water in the room that is being checked to see if the drink had been tampered with, BNO reported.

It is believed Carradine died some 12 to 24 hours before he was found by the hotel maid.

The Kung Fu and Kill Bill actor had been in Bangkok since Tuesday to shoot an upcoming movie called Strand.

Carradine's is best remembered as the half-Chinese, half-Caucasian Shaolin monk called Kwai Chang Caine in the 1972-75 TV series Kung Fu. The show, which was often described as a mystical kung-fu western, was honored with several Emmy nominations and awards, including a best actor nomination for Carradine.

But now, the circumstances of his death might be what many will remember about him, and that's a shame.

Sources: BNO news
Copyright © 2009

Kung Fu star found dead, suicide suspected

David Carradine, who became a an American cultural icon in the 70s with his role in the TV series Kung Fu, was found dead in a Bangkok hotel room, everybody and their mother reported Thursday.

Thai police believe he hanged himself; however, the circumstances of his death are still under investigation.

Carradine, 72, was in Bangkok to shoot a movie and had been staying at the Park Nai Lert Hotel since June 2. Carradine's manager Chuck Binder said his client's death "seems like an accidental death" and is "under investigation."

Carradine was absent from a dinner with the film crew on June 3. The crew attempted to get a hold of him but were not successful. They assumed he was resting, according to media reports.

A hotel maid found Carrradine on Thursday morning in the closet of his suite. A police investigation reports the actor was hanging by a rope. Police said he was dead for at least 12 hours and found no signs of foul play.

In the closet hanging by a rope. What kind of accident would that be? Oops, I hanged myself while searching for my shoes? Strange...

His manager insists the actor did not commit suicide.

"The cause of death is still under investigation in Bangkok," she told US magazine Thursday. "All I can tell you is that David did not commit suicide. I can tell you that 100 percent. He would never commit suicide."

Carradine played the title role in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Vol. 1 in 2003 and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 the following year. He was best known for his role as a fugitive in Kung Fu for which he was nominated for an Emmy. He also starred in Martin Scorsese's Boxcar Bertha in 1972, portrayed folksinger Woody Guthrie in Bound for Glory in 1976, and acted in Ingmar Bergman's The Serpent's Egg in 1977, Extra reported. Carradine also co-starred with half brothers Keith and Robert in the 1980 western The Long Riders.

He was the eldest son of noted actor John Carradine. He was married five times and leaves two daughters and a son.

Photo: Getty Images