First reveal in 52 years: Bruce Lee might have died of epilepsy

Recently, TVB's programme "Ctrl+ F The Truth" investigated the mystery behind Bruce Lee's sudden death in 1973, offering an exclusive interview with his former lover, now 78‑year‑old Betty Ting, and reconstructing key details.

Betty Ting, born Tang Meili, is originally from Beijing and was born in Taipei. She joined Shaw Brothers in 1967 and developed her acting career in Hong Kong. She claims that when she was around 25, Bruce Lee, who was then married, actively pursued her. They became involved romantically due to his charisma and fate. She handled his styling during filming and was affectionately called "Little Dragon Girl" on set.

On July 20th, 1973, Bruce Lee visited Betty Ting's home. At 7:00 PM he complained of a headache; Betty Ting gave him a commonly used painkiller and advised him to rest in bed. They had planned to meet Raymond Chow, but when Chow phoned, Ting tried to wake Lee but received no response. At around 9:45 PM, Chow arrived to find Bruce Lee unconscious. Ting's personal doctor called for an ambulance around 10:00 PM., and Lee was rushed to the hospital.

After Lee's death, their affair became public and Betty Ting became the target of widespread blame. She initially denied that Bruce Lee collapsed at her home, attributing her statements to direction from Chow, saying she was overwhelmed and that the painkiller had never caused him problems before. She felt she was treated too harshly by the outside world.

The programme ruled out sudden cerebral hemorrhage, drug overdose, and other rumors. Forensic pathologist Wai-ming Poon analysed that Bruce Lee had experienced cramps and fainted on set two months before his death. During a US examination report, "muscle cramps disorder" were noted. Since the term SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy) emerged in the 1990s, Poon suggests epilepsy may have been the true cause of death. Medical opinion holds that mental stress and overfatigue can trigger epilepsy. Lee's intense self‑demands might have heightened his stress. Many involved parties may have avoided linking his death to epilepsy to protect his heroic image, thus the cause of Lee's death remained obscured.

52年来首度揭秘，李小龙可能死于癫痫

近日，TVB节目《真相猜情寻》探寻李小龙1973年猝死之谜，独家专访其生前情人现年78岁的丁珮，还原相关细节。

丁珮原名唐美丽，籍贯北京，出生在台北；1967年加盟邵氏，在香港发展其演艺事业。她称当年25岁左右时，已婚的李小龙主动追求她，两人因他的魅力和缘分走到一起，她曾为其打理形象，片场人称她“小龙女”。

1973年7月20日，李小龙到丁珮家，当晚7点说头痛，丁珮给其服用自家常用止痛片，让他卧床休息。原计划与邹文怀见面，邹文怀来电时，丁珮发现叫不醒李小龙。约9点45分邹文怀赶到，李小龙已昏迷，晚上10点才由私人医生叫救护车送医。

事后丁珮因地下情曝光成众矢之的，她称起初否认李小龙在她家昏迷是按邹文怀指示，自己当时手足无措，且给的止痛药李小龙之前吃没问题，觉得外界对她过于苛责。

节目排除了脑出血、吸毒过量等传言，法医潘伟明分析，李小龙猝死前两月曾在片场抽筋昏迷，美方检查提过“抽筋失常”，结合20世纪90年代出现的SUDEP（癫痫猝死）概念，推测其死因可能是癫痫。医学界认为精神压力、过度疲劳可能引发癫痫，而李小龙对自我要求极高，或加重压力。多方或因维护其形象不愿提及癫痫，导致死因成谜。

文 | 记者 胡广欣

图 | TVB节目截图

翻译 | 柯妃娟

审校 | 肖凯欣