New findings may explain what killed Bruce Lee after 49 years of his death

Famed martial arts legend Bruce Lee died unexpectedly in 1973 when he was just 32-years-old. His untimely death caused debates, rumors and conspiracy theories ever since.

While medical experts, at the time, said there was no visible external injury. The autopsy reports showed his brain had swollen considerably.

It was believed he died from cerebral edema that occurred as a result of taking the painkiller drug Equagesic.

Meanwhile, researchers have found a different answer while reviewing Lee’s death and the available evidence and it has been suggested that the martial artist died from drinking too much water.

The researchers' team behind the study now believe it was the inability of Lee’s kidneys to process the excess water that ultimately killed him.

“We now propose, based on an analysis of publicly available information, that the cause of death was cerebral oedema due to hyponatraemia,” the researchers wrote in the study, which was published in the Clinical Kidney Journal.

On the day of his death, he reportedly experienced headache and dizziness in the evening after smoking cannabis and drinking water. He then took the Equagesic and was found unresponsive two hours later.