DAVID CARRADINE FOUND HANGED IN HOTEL

David Carradine

Kung Fu actor David Carradine, star of the hit 1970s television series, has been found dead in the Thai capital, Bangkok. Media reports said he was found hanged in his hotel room and was believed to have committed suicide. A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy, Michael Turner, confirmed the death of the 72-year-old worldwide star. He said the embassy was informed by Thai authorities that Carradine died either late Wednesday or early Thursday, but he could not provide further details out of consideration for his family. The Web site of the Thai newspaper The Nation cited unidentified police sources as saying Carradine was found Thursday hanged in his luxury hotel room. It said Carradine was in Bangkok to shoot a movie and had been staying at the hotel since Tuesday. The newspaper said Carradine could not be contacted after he failed to appear for a meal with the rest of the film crew on Wednesday, and that his body was found by a hotel maid at 10 a.m. Thursday morning. It said a preliminary police investigation found that he had hanged himself with a cord used with the room's curtains. It cited police as saying he had been dead at least 12 hours and there was no sign that he had been assaulted. Police at Bangkok's Lumpini precinct station would not confirm the identity of the dead man, but said the luxury Swissotel Nai Lert Park hotel had reported that a male guest killed himself there. Carradine was a member of the famed Hollywood acting family that included his father, character actor John Carradine, and brother Keith.
Photo By: Sara De Boer/Retna