kung fu was probably one of my favorite tv series while it was on the air in the 70’s. maybe two years ago, we picked up the first and second seasons on dvd, and have enjoy watching them. about a week before the recent passing of david carradine, we started watching the series from the beginning again, and when we heard about his death, we went out and finally got the third season.
there are those that thought little of the series, and the philosophies outlined by the characters, referring to it as “zen-lite”, but i thought the world of the series, and david carradine’s performance, along with keye luke who played master po, and philip ahn who played master kan.
i was particularly disappointed to see this kind of gossip, with the tasteless headline “David Carradine’s Friend: He Was Killed by Transsexual Prostitutes”. i mean really, let the man die in peace.
the article, in part, says:
Gunderson says, “I believe he met two Lady Boys in the hotel bar… They are flirtatious, desperate for money and would have zeroed in on a celebrity like Carradine.” Gunderson is convinced the hookers drugged Carradine, hung him and then set about staging what would look like a suicide.
of course, the article hinges on the idea that associating with “lady boys” is inherently bad, and that all “lady boys” are “flirtatious, desperate for money”. of course, there’s no mention of what “loot” the alleged “lady boys” got away with, after allegedly doing their dastardly deed.
rest in peace kwai chang, i will always remember you, your kind and gentle manor, and your eternal wisdom.