For decades, the known cause of Bruce Lee’s death has been cerebral edema or swelling of the brain. But a recent study revealed that the famed martial artist may have died because he drank too much water.
The study, which was published in March, still supports the cerebral edema theory but also suggests that it may have been caused by hyponatremia. Hyponatremia is a condition where the body’s sodium levels are abnormally low.
“We propose that the kidney’s inability to excrete excess water killed Bruce Lee,” the abstract of the study reads. “In this regard, Lee had multiple risk factors for hyponatremia that may have included high chronic fluid intake.