T.D. Posted June 5, 2009 Report Posted June 5, 2009 (edited) Why the fuck do the media need to report this fact? They could have just said 'the death seemed to be accidental' and left it at that. The internet would have spread the word anyway. Not that we really need to know. In general, when a 'celebrity' dies, why do some people feel they are entitled to know the cause of death? What if it is something embarrassing (as is the case here)? It just adds to the family's grief. It's not just celebrities. I first became aware of the a.asph. thing when I was in college, either 1976 or 77 (forget the exact year). There was a puzzling suicide reported: a really high-ranking math student hung himself in the shower. A week or two after the official (no details) announcement, the daily student newspaper (Michigan St. State News) broke a big story detailing the a.asph. explanation. It was very controversial, and met with big criticism, but the paper stuck to its guns. I'm sure the family was crushed. Edited June 6, 2009 by T.D. Quote
Neal Pomea Posted June 5, 2009 Report Posted June 5, 2009 He did a good job playing Woody Guthrie in Bound for Glory. Now, if only they had made a movie about Woody's merchant marine days, his marriage to Marjorie, his relationship with the Almanac Singers, Leadbelly, Cisco Houston, Brownie and Sonny, Jack Elliott, and his getting Huntington's Chorea! He had some interesting times. Could have called upon even more of Carradine's quirky talent. Quote
Dan Gould Posted June 5, 2009 Report Posted June 5, 2009 It's not just celebrities. I first became aware of the a.e. thing when I was in college, either 1976 or 77 (forget the exact year). There was a puzzling suicide reported: a really high-ranking math student hung himself in the shower. A week or two after the official (no details) announcement, the daily student newspaper (Michigan St. State News) broke a big story detailing the a.e. explanation. It was very controversial, and met with big criticism, but the paper stuck to its guns. I'm sure the family was crushed. Actually aside from the "embarrassment" I'd think the family might ultimately feel better that it was an accidental self-hanging rather than suicide. Suicide presupposes depression, and the family of someone with such a great future might spend a lot more time obsessing over whether or not there were "signs" and if they missed them. At least they knew the truth and didn't go to their own graves wondering "what if". Quote
Neal Pomea Posted June 5, 2009 Report Posted June 5, 2009 Strong point, Dan! The survivors of an intentional suicide often go through a hard time of self-recrimination, almost blaming themselves for not having been able to intervene, assuming that were possible. Just a terrible scene altogether. I am sorry for his family. I certainly won't be joking about him. I rather remember his good work. Quote
Soulstation1 Posted June 5, 2009 Report Posted June 5, 2009 TMZ reports that his hands were tied together behind him Quote
AndrewHill Posted June 5, 2009 Report Posted June 5, 2009 I'm starting to wonder if his "suicide" was some kind of weird sex act gone horribly wrong a la Michael Hutchence. Carradine may have died from sex act: Thai police Exactly. I told my wife that this sounded like what Hutchence did. Quote
Jazzmoose Posted June 5, 2009 Report Posted June 5, 2009 If it's true, I say WTF? I mean, is the traditional method so bad that at 72 you've got to experiment at the risk of losing your life? It ended up the worst way possible and now he will be the subject of jokes for years. Nice going, Kwai Chang. One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble... Quote
T.D. Posted June 5, 2009 Report Posted June 5, 2009 It's not just celebrities. I first became aware of the a.e. thing when I was in college, either 1976 or 77 (forget the exact year). There was a puzzling suicide reported: a really high-ranking math student hung himself in the shower. A week or two after the official (no details) announcement, the daily student newspaper (Michigan St. State News) broke a big story detailing the a.e. explanation. It was very controversial, and met with big criticism, but the paper stuck to its guns. I'm sure the family was crushed. Actually aside from the "embarrassment" I'd think the family might ultimately feel better that it was an accidental self-hanging rather than suicide. Suicide presupposes depression, and the family of someone with such a great future might spend a lot more time obsessing over whether or not there were "signs" and if they missed them. At least they knew the truth and didn't go to their own graves wondering "what if". Dan, I always assumed that the family was fully apprised of the details, and that the issue was public dissemination/reporting. It's certainly possible to argue for disclosure (in the straight suicide case, the University could conceivably have been faulted for not making counseling sufficiently available), but the way the incident was reported left a bad impression on many (recall this was '76 or '77, when such things were hardly spoken of). Quote
Dan Gould Posted June 5, 2009 Report Posted June 5, 2009 It didn't occur to me that the family might get the full details, good point. Although it occurs to me that in the not-too-distant past it might have been pretty common to regard "suicide" as a less troubling cause of death than auto-erotic asphyxiation. Quote
Cliff Englewood Posted June 5, 2009 Report Posted June 5, 2009 One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble... That was the first thing I thought of when I first heard this. Quote
clifford_thornton Posted June 6, 2009 Report Posted June 6, 2009 If it's true, I say WTF? I mean, is the traditional method so bad that at 72 you've got to experiment at the risk of losing your life? It ended up the worst way possible and now he will be the subject of jokes for years. Nice going, Kwai Chang. One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble... Well, he may have been experimenting with this method for years and it didn't work out in his favor this time. According to "sexperts," one should ALWAYS have a safety person nearby when using this method in case something goes wrong. Quote
Soulstation1 Posted June 6, 2009 Report Posted June 6, 2009 Can I be Chewy's safety person? LMAO Quote
papsrus Posted June 6, 2009 Report Posted June 6, 2009 (edited) To the question of why report the details of his death: The information was publicly released by officials in Thailand, from what I understand. As such, it was in the public domain and arguably the responsibility of the press to report it accurately. The information about his death might even heighten awareness of the dangers of this practice. More information, in this case, as with most others, is probably better than less information. I think the fact that the discussion here is taking place in a reasonable and sympathetic manner should soothe (if that's the right word) any concerns about embarrassment. (Aside from the general proposition that accidentally killing yourself, no matter what the means, is, to say the least, embarrassing. And I don't mean to make light of that.) I'm not sure what laws govern the release of this kind of information in the United States. Are coroner's reports subject to the same public record laws that police reports are? Or do they fall under medical privacy laws? If it's the latter, and he had died in the U.S., and the information was subsequently released, the family would have pretty good grounds to sue, I'd think. Edited June 6, 2009 by papsrus Quote
connoisseur series500 Posted June 6, 2009 Report Posted June 6, 2009 (edited) Nothing ever good happens in Bangkok. (I lived there for 11 years and have an idea....) Edited June 8, 2009 by connoisseur series500 Quote
Claude Posted June 6, 2009 Report Posted June 6, 2009 The information policy is indeed questionable. In the very first reports, it was said that the cause of death would not be disclosed, in respect for his family. Then it was published that he was found with a rope around his neck and that there was no trace of foul play, which suggested suicide, i.e. the most distressing cause of death for family and friends. I think that therefore the information that he did kill himself accidently and not on purpose comes as a relief, although what he did is embarrassing. Society has evolved, even a Formula 1 federation boss who was filmed in a sado-maso session wearing a SS uniform and beating hookers dressed as KZ prisoners does not have to resign ... So I think David Carradine will be remembered for his movie legacy and not for his embarrassing cause of death. Quote
Jazzmoose Posted June 6, 2009 Report Posted June 6, 2009 In the long run (and not that long), I expect you're right. It's not like I think of what happened every time I hear INXS. Quote
jostber Posted June 6, 2009 Report Posted June 6, 2009 Nothing ever good happens in Bangkok. (I lived there for 11 years and have an idea....) Nothing ever good happens in Bangkok. (I lived there for 11 years and have an idea....) Didn't you like the place, or was it just jinxed? Quote
BERIGAN Posted June 6, 2009 Report Posted June 6, 2009 .... Society has evolved, even a Formula 1 federation boss who was filmed in a sado-maso session wearing a SS uniform and beating hookers dressed as KZ prisoners does not have to resign ... That he didn't have to resign, might be a sign of devolution.... Quote
JohnJ Posted June 8, 2009 Report Posted June 8, 2009 Nothing ever good happens in Bangkok. (I lived there for 11 years and have an idea....) Nothing ever good happens in Bangkok. (I lived there for 11 years and have an idea....) My brother lives in Bangkok and I have been there many times. One of my favourite cities in the world. Nowhere quite like Soi Cowboy to start an evening out with a few friends. Quote
CJ Shearn Posted June 8, 2009 Report Posted June 8, 2009 I used to watch him on Kung Fu TLC. I was shocked when I heard this Quote
connoisseur series500 Posted June 8, 2009 Report Posted June 8, 2009 Nothing ever good happens in Bangkok. (I lived there for 11 years and have an idea....) Nothing ever good happens in Bangkok. (I lived there for 11 years and have an idea....) Didn't you like the place, or was it just jinxed? Didn't intend to sound mysterious or anything, but people have a lot of freedom over there. It's easy to go astray and hang yourself. On the other hand, it's a great place to "find yourself." Quote
T.D. Posted June 8, 2009 Report Posted June 8, 2009 My family lived in BKK for a long time, and I visited frequently, but way back (before 1980). There's a lot going on , and lots of freedom, as Conn said. People who are prone to excess (alcohol, sex, drugs, hanging out with bad people, etc) can wind up with big problems over there. Quote
JohnJ Posted June 9, 2009 Report Posted June 9, 2009 My family lived in BKK for a long time, and I visited frequently, but way back (before 1980). There's a lot going on , and lots of freedom, as Conn said. People who are prone to excess (alcohol, sex, drugs, hanging out with bad people, etc) can wind up with big problems over there. Very true! This song was all the rage when I first visited. Quote
paul secor Posted June 9, 2009 Report Posted June 9, 2009 Reading this thread, I feel like I've stepped into the world of a tabloid rag. Quote
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