RIP David Carridine 72

[CreepyJeff]

A couple of months ago he appeared as a guest on the Chicago WGN Morning news.  Can't remember what he was promoting at the time.  He was intruduced thusly:  "We welcome the legendary David Carradine.  Hello!"  David's reponse.  "Wow.  Legendary.  Legend'f_ _king'dary."  On live TV.  I can't recall the rest of his interview sadly but thought at the time it was pretty darn funny.

Storied film and television history and great lineage to his father and extended family of actors.  RIP, David.

[michblk]

Wow, how sad.

[hammerfan]

theres already a thread going on this topic. (And it's this one. Topics merged.)

[Halloween Jeff]

     Everything I've read points to suicide...TMZ reported that he's had trouble with suicidal ideation before, and ever posted a song to his website about a guy walking into traffic to kill himself.  I haven't been there, so don't know.

     Untreated clinical depression is the most frequent reason for suicide.  Just goes to show we don't know what's going on in someone's mind....


Bizarro Jeff

[Toy Ranch]

I don't think it was suicide.  The rope was affixed around his genitals as well.  It was probably an accident. 

This article about auto-erotic asphyxiation is explicit, but quite thorough.  It was written by Matt Crowley, aka Matt the Tube from Jim Rose Sideshow fame. 

http://www.orgoneresearch.com/Deadly%20Sex%20Thrills.htm

[FACTO2]

Which just makes his passing creepier and creepier.  Yeeesshhhh.

[The Spangler]

I don't think it was suicide.  The rope was affixed around his genitals as well.  It was probably an accident. 

This article about auto-erotic asphyxiation is explicit, but quite thorough.  It was written by Matt Crowley, aka Matt the Tube from Jim Rose Sideshow fame. 

http://www.orgoneresearch.com/Deadly%20Sex%20Thrills.htm

If indeed this was the case with Carradine, I really hope he didn't write all kinds of perverted stuff all over his body, like Albert Dekker was purported to have done!

[The Creeper]

No matter what, it's still sad.  R.I.P. David, I hope you are at peace now!

[FACTO2]

I don't think it was suicide.  The rope was affixed around his genitals as well.  It was probably an accident. 

The more I read about the story the more I agree with you.  I'd also guess there was probably someone else in the room.  Okay, just speculating here, but my guess would be a hooker.  Hey, he was in Bangkok.  My guess is that it was meant to be a sexual encounter involving auto-erotic asphyxiation and it just went horribly wrong.  The woman was probably so freaked that she just got out of there.  Both scenarios are unpleasant (suicide or the erotic asphyxiation).  Certainly not the way any of us would want to remember him.  Just damn sad...  And really really stupid.

[Wich2]

"Just damn sad...  And really really stupid."

Facto, it is indeed both - and it's no insult to Carridine to be honest about the latter.

[Jscareshock]

ABC news this morning (Friday) reported now that the death is suspicious.  He was found naked hanging in a closet with the cord tied around his body.  That is certainly more than auto erotic.  It suggests he wasn't alone.  Also, he supposedly gave up drinking and his only vices were coffee and cigarettes.  Yet, the first time he was at Chiller he'd allegedly given up drinking and to see him on that Chiller video so toasted--it's sad.

[Toy Ranch]

ABC news this morning (Friday) reported now that the death is suspicious.  He was found naked hanging in a closet with the cord tied around his body.  That is certainly more than auto erotic.  It suggests he wasn't alone. 

In what way is it more than autoerotic asphyxia?  The circumstances are textbook autoerotic asphyxia.  In order to hang oneself in a hotel room, one needs something high capable to supporting their weight.  In a hotel room, the clothing bar in a closet would fill that need probably better than anything else available. 

From the article I posted a link to:

It is undoubtedly the most dangerous of all sex
practices. Approximately 500 to 1000 people die from it
each year. It has claimed the lives of cartoonist
Vaughn Bode and actor Albert Dekker. Years ago, medical
examiners often made the mistaken conclusion that these
deaths were suicidal hangings. Several factors
differentiate an AA hanging from suicidal hanging.

1. The feet are often touching the ground. This
enables the practitioner to vary the pressure
that the ligature is applying to the neck by
lifting his body up or down from the floor.

2. The rope or ligature is often tied in a
highly complex manner. This is done to
provide an "escape mechanism" to manipulate
the pressure on the neck with arms, legs, or
torso.

3. The victim will often have padding around the
neck to prevent tell-tale bruises and
abrasions.

4. Pornography is present.

5. The victim had no known motive to commit
suicide.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20283427,00.html


"The body was in a sitting position, with a yellow rope wrapped around the neck and attached to a closet bar, said police Col. Somprasong Yentuam, chief of the Lumpini area station. "We believe that Mr. David committed suicide but it is suspicious," said Yentuam."

[Toy Ranch]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31118992/

"Carradine's associates had questioned that theory (suicide) and authorities later said no suicide note was found in his room.

Police Lt. Gen. Worapong Chewprecha told reporters that Carradine was found with a rope tied around his genitals 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."


"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."

[Wich2]

"that's not something David would ever do to himself."

That's something that many friends said about George Reeves for years; and most of them have come around to the likelyhood of suicide.

Obviously we don't know for sure - and may never - but a blanket statement like that, though well-meant, usually doesn't take into account the complexity of life, and the varieties of depression.

-Craig

[Toy Ranch]

Very true, Craig.  However the other circumstances support that contention.  People just don't commit suicide in a sitting position with complex rope ligatures around their neck and genitals.  They do die of autoerotic asphyxiation that way though. 

It's certainly tragic, and like with Bob Crane, we don't like to have our image of these icons of our childhood shattered with these sexually bizarre details at the end of their lives.  Our level of familiarity with these things being very low (I've read about it before, but don't have any practical experience to cite), it's hard to accept what is obvious if you are somewhat familiar with the nature of autoerotic asphixia.   I can't come up with a good analogy, but if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck...  as the circumstances of his death do...  then it's a duck.

All that aside, I really enjoyed a great deal of his work, from Kung Fu to Death Race 2000 to Kill Bill, and etc. etc. etc.  My opinion of him and his work hasn't changed.  I'm sorry he died and will miss him.