Oog. A little clarification as to the nature of Carradine's death:
QUOTE
Thai police: Carradine death may be accidental
By MICHAEL CASEY
Associated Press Writer
BANGKOK — The body of American actor David Carradine, best known for
the 1970s TV series "Kung Fu," was found in a hotel room closet with
a rope tied to his neck and genitals, and his death may have been
accidental suffocation, Thai police said Friday.
The 72-year-old actor's body was discovered Thursday in his luxury
suite at Bangkok's Swissotel Nai Lert Park Hotel. Police initially
said they suspected suicide, though Carradine's associates had
questioned that theory.
Police Lt. Gen. Worapong Chewprecha told reporters that Carradine was
found with a rope "tied around his penis and another rope around his
neck."
"The two ropes were tied together," he said. "It is unclear whether
he committed suicide or not or he died of suffocation or heart
failure due to an orgasm."
Thai police completed an autopsy on Carradine Friday but so far have
not released the results.
Dr. Nanthana Sirisap, director of Chulalongkorn Hospital's Autopsy
Center, told reporters that the autopsy was conducted because of the
"unusual circumstances surrounding Carradine's death," but he did not
elaborate.
Police Lt. Teerapop Luanseng had said on Thursday that Carradine's
body was found "naked, hanging in a closet," and that police at the
time suspected suicide.
But one of Carradine's managers, Tiffany Smith of Binder &
Associates, dismissed the theory.
"All we can say is, we know David would never have committed
suicide," said Tiffany Smith, of Binder & Associates, his management
company. "We're just waiting for them to finish the investigation and
find out what really happened. He really appreciated everything life
has to give ... and that's not something David would ever do to
himself."
Carradine had flown to Thailand last week and began work on a film
titled "Stretch" two days before his death, Smith said. He had
several other projects lined up after the action film, which was
being directed by Charles De Meaux.
Carradine was "in good spirits" when he left the U.S. for Thailand on
May 29 to work on "Stretch," Smith said.
"David was excited to do it and excited to be a part of it," she said
by phone from Beverly Hills.
Filming began Tuesday, she said, adding that the crew was devastated
by Carradine's death and did not wish to speak publicly about it for
the time being.
Aurelio Giraudo, the hotel's general manager, said Carradine checked
into the hotel May 31 and he last saw him June 3. He said Carradine
chatted with staff and even played piano a few nights in the lobby as
well as flute which the "guests really enjoyed."
"I was a fan. I had a very nice talk with him when he checked in,"
Giraudo told The Associated Press. "He was very much a person full of
life. I mentioned to him that I had seen (the movie) "Crank" with my
family and that was the last smile he gave me."
Giraudo said a chambermaid discovered Carradine's body, adding that
she knocked and entered after there was no response. Police arrived
shortly thereafter.
Carradine, a martial arts practitioner himself, was best known for
the U.S. TV series "Kung Fu," which aired from 1972-75. He played
Kwai Chang Caine, an orphan who was raised by Shaolin monks and fled
China after killing the emperor's nephew in retaliation for the
murder of his kung fu master.
Carradine also appeared in more than 100 feature films with such
directors as Scorsese, Ingmar Bergman and Hal Ashby.
He returned to the top in recent years as the title character in
Quentin Tarantino's two-part saga "Kill Bill." Bill, the worldly
father figure of a pack of crack assassins, was a shadowy presence in
2003's "Kill Bill — Vol. 1." In that film, one of Bill's former
assassins (Uma Thurman) begins a vengeful rampage against her old
associates, including Bill.
So, looks like accidental death from auto-erotic asphyxiation. ='[.]'=