Friend Doubts Carradine Committed Suicide

Actor Michael Madsen: "Depression Wasn't Really A Part Of His Personality"

(CBS)  A longtime friend of actor David Carradine says it "doesn't make sense" that the star killed himself.

Actor Michael Madsen said on The Early Show Friday depression "wasn't really a part of Carradine's makeup.

Carradine was found dead Thursday in a luxury hotel room in Bangkok, Thailand. The star, best-known for the 1970s TV series "Kung Fu," was alone in a closet with ropes around his neck and genitals, tied together, Thai police say.

At first, they speculated that Carradine had committed suicide, but backed away from that on Friday and are now saying Carradine's death may have resulted from accidental suffocation or heart failure.

Autopsy results were pending.

Madsen called Carradine's death "kind of shocking." He told Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen he "could never have imagined anybody like David, (who) was so full of life and so happy and working (would commit suicide). You figure somebody might do something like that when they're unemployed or destitute. He was working hard and having a good time, and it doesn't make sense."

"I spoke to his wife this morning," Madsen added, "and she really wants everybody to know that David was not suicidal. Certainly, I would have known about something like that. Depression wasn't really a part of his personality. Whatever causes people to have that emotion, he seems to have -- seemed to have gotten over it."

Madsen says Carradine was in "really good spirits" when he saw him recently. "He was very happy that he was going back to work. He had three pictures lined up. ... Anybody who's working that much, I don't... He was very happy."

Asked how he'd remember his friend, Madsen recalled being told Carradine was playing piano at a recording studio as he sang, "Somewhere Over The Rainbow."

"That side of David, I don't think too many people knew about," Madsen noted. "I think he'd like to be remembered as somebody who was -- he was a great talent and a wonderful friend."

[Ephesian612]

The FBI previously involved in the life of David Carradine, Doug Durham and AIM. 1974, David Carradine had visited Doug Durham, an FBI informant, on Durham's birthday. (Page 112) "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse" By Peter Matthiessen

[Ichabod09]

bonjour
je voudrai simplement dire cela..qu'il repose en paix, quand a la position a laquelle son corps a été découvert, pas de conclusion hatives, les morts aussi méritent le respect.
david carradine, acteur de talent, condoléances aux siens
au revoir
Posted by sam-kiley at 4:54 AM : Jun 6, 2009

Dear Sam,

With online translation programs, practically anyone can translate text into another language.

Little advice Sam? Quit being a pretentious idiot.

[strmrnnr]

How are you supposed to tell what an actor is really like. A man who is in his 70's and has acted almost all of his life would be able to hide his 'real' self from anyone. If things were on a down slide for him and he did not want anyone to know, they could easily hide that.

He was a good actor, and had a not bad career, maybe he found out he was sick, Who knows.

God Bless his soul, because he taught a lot of single parented flower children about compassion and integrity, with that show he did in the 70's. Some of us had no one but the idiot box to teach use these things at the time. All they teach now is kill, kill, kill.

[sam-kiley]

bonjour
je voudrai simplement dire cela..qu'il repose en paix, quand a la position a laquelle son corps a été découvert, pas de conclusion hatives, les morts aussi méritent le respect.
david carradine, acteur de talent, condoléances aux siens
au revoir

[stn_sage]

Too many people seem to be willing to readily accept the idea that his death is a result of some sort of weird sex thing---when most of the evidence---suggests nothing of the kind!

Apparently, it's easier to ignore this evidence, in order to conclude he's a bad guy! For some people, the need to falsely condemn someone exceeds the victims right to a fair investigation and establishment of cause of death!

Condolences to his wife, family, and friends! Remember the good times you had with him, that's how he'd want you to think about him now!

[spiritwalk]

Reading some of these posts is kinda discouraging, they're way out there. How do you all know he was masturbating with the cord around his neck at the same time and hanging from the closet ceiling. I can't see me stroking my johnson while hanging. from the rafters.
Posted by stickdog3

Here lies the problem. In our prudish society we don't talk about sexuality in an open and honest way. It doesnt make sense to you because you have never heard about it, which is not your fault. Most of us that have heard about have heard because we pesonally have known someone who dies this way. If we did not we probably would not know about it either.

Chances are that there is someone you know who engages in this and you would never suspect it, until they ended up dead like Carradine

[TheTruthDetective]

This is an embarrassing way to get a nut. That is..... if you die and someone has to find you. There are lots of people that die this way every year. Man, just do it the old fashion way, in the shower.

[tommybryant]

As a retired police officer, there are lots of unanswered questions. Was the body hanging totally above the floor? Were the feet touching the floor? Was he on his knees?
Were his hands tied behind his back? All of these qurstions can answer many questions! If he was found on his knees, that is classic autoeritica. With his martial arts abilities, I doubt someone could have over-powered him. With his money, he could have afforded many pleasures. Regardless of the cause of this terrible event, he was a great actor which should be remembered as a great actor and I loved watching his movies! Who would have believed Rock Hudson was gay? No one knows what goes on in someone elses mind. He was a great actor and remembered that way!

[michael_lyns]

You guys, how about a little dignity for the dead. Web etiquette is bad, but this is disgusting. The guy was 72, who cares what he did for kicks. Leave it alone, would ya.

[stickdog3]

Reading some of these posts is kinda discouraging, they're way out there. How do you all know he was masturbating with the cord around his neck at the same time and hanging from the closet ceiling. I can't see me stroking my johnson while hanging. from the rafters. Someone was sending a message, a very loud message. First they (coroner) said suicide. Now I'm hearing they've changed it to asphixiation. Someone did him in, I can't see how if true they were able to get to him, I still can't picture himself doing his self in like that, I'm sorry.

[credibility2]

Stupid way to die. Stupid way to waste one's life.

[stickdog3]

Come on people, give the man some respect. My opinion was that he probably was killed. The other thing was it accidental, or strait up murder? Did he cross one of those Thai girls, and she came back to do him in. I'm sure if it was someone else involved, him being him this probably was a really nice hotel with all sorts of security, I would love to see the hall way tapes of people coming and going. That would be a mjaor clue right there. I just can't imagine him tying a rope around his own johnson and neck with a cord from the blinds, he had help. Maybe he was a bit kinky, its all going to come out. It shouldn't be hard to crack this case. Phone records should speak volumns in this case.
This reminds me of another case CBS 48 Hours Mystery featured last month and a half ago. Called "The Curious Case Of Colonel Shue" If you can, go back and read the transcript on that case or watch it. I guarantee you it will blow your mind. Its one of the most bizarre cases I've ever seen. This one is shaping up to be that way. How sad, I can't see him embarassing his family members and others by doing himself in that way. He had help, like I said the phone records and hotel security cameras should crack this case. Condolecences to his family.

[ChuckInTX]

Not so unique. It's been a cause of death for hundreds of years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoerotic_asphyxiation

[lost_america]

Surely no one would deliberately choose to die in this sort of embarrassing situation. Embarrassing not only for the victim but for his family.
Posted by 12345-908903 at 9:58 AM : Jun 5, 2009
+ report abuse + permalink

****************************************************************************
I personally know two who have died this way.

One was found by his children the other (a college freshman) was found by his parents. Both of these guys were middle glass and neither was beleived to be involved in any kind of fringe sexual practices

Apparently this is a lot more common then we think it is.

[u-r-right]

I always heard it would make you go blind, not dead.

[dwright1now]

Carradine was murdered, plain and simple. Doesn't that a rocket scientist to figure that one out.

[talcoolone]

Wow, rope around the neck, genitals, in a closet, in a hotel in Bangkok. They can't make this stuff up. Never heard of the strangulation-masturbation technique. Seems like a lot of trouble for a 72 year old to go through.

[citizenusa-2009]

You gotta ask yourselves this: When movie sets are built in Hollywood to depict everything from King Tut's tomb to the Eiffel Tower, why actually go to Thailand to film? The answer is clear: Fringe benefits. Kinky (and illegal to the Western world) s.e.x. is what makes that country tick.

It's really no shock that something like this would happen there. He may have ordered a couple of "Asian sexperts" to help him "get his groove on", and they didn't realize a 72 year old American doesn't have the stamina to survive hanging while having his "junk" strangled!

What a way to go!!! Yuk!!!

[viperbomb]

Geo Carlin said it best, "if god didn't want you to masturbate, he would have made your arms shorter". At least he left feeling pretty damn good! RIP

[erasmus111]

Many guys die of strangulation during masturbation when they use the cord-around-the-neck to reduce oxygen levels, producing a more intense orgasm. The problem is that if they pass out, they hang and die. Coming and going at the same time.

Posted by buttonjockey at 7:47 AM : Jun 5, 2009

Wow. You learn something new everyday.