Loss of father and brother: Bruce Lee’s daughter copes with double tragedy

Before Shannon Lee could celebrate her 25th birthday, the now 54-year-old had to say goodbye to the two most important men in her life. When her father, martial arts legend Bruce Lee (1940-1973), died at the age of 32, daughter Shannon was only four years old. The tragic accidental death of her big brother Brandon Lee (1965-1993) on the set of the film “The Crow” happened around 20 years later. Shannon Lee now gave deep insights into her emotional world, which she processes in her new book “In My Own Process”.

Since she was still a toddler when her father died, her memories are largely limited to emotional impressions: “He was a bit strict. I remember the feeling of being with him, the brightness, the warmth.” Of all things, Bruce Lee’s funeral was the one that stuck most in her mind: “It was such a spectacle. I just remember this state of dissociation and shock as I was dragged through this whole procession.”

Growing up, the fact that there were all sorts of conspiracy theories surrounding her father’s death initially bothered her. Only later did she learn to classify this and see it as recognition: “He was a fighter and no one could imagine that someone like that would simply die.” Instead of brain swelling caused by an allergic reaction to a prescribed painkiller, it was easier for people to believe that their father was from “ninjas […] or a rival gang.

Brother Brandon, the “stormy bundle of energy”

Shannon Lee was reminded of the death of her brother Brandon by another tragic on-set accident that occurred recently: Like Brandon during the filming of the dark fantasy film “The Crow” (1993), camerawoman Halyna Hutchins (1979-2021) also made it through in 2021 a fatal accident involving a firearm. The drama of death on the “Rust” set was “very similar” to the loss of her brother and raises the question: “Why is the making of a film more important than the life of a person?”

She describes her brother as a “big, stormy bundle of energy” who liked to play pranks on her, but always came to her aid at the right time: “He was my tormentor. But when it came down to it, he was also my protector. If someone was mean me, he intervened.” Just a typical big brother.

It was only a quote from her father’s diary that finally helped her come to terms with Brandon’s death. Bruce Lee had written: “I had the medicine for my suffering within me from the beginning, but I did not take it.” This made her realize: “The only person who can solve this for you is yourself.”