# Goodbye 'Grasshopper'



## harlan

David Carradine passed away today.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8083479.stm

As cheesy as it was, and putting aside the politics, as a kid, I loved the show 'Kung Fu'.


----------



## ShelleyK

Oh nooo!! I always loved the shows he was in, he was a great comedian too!!


----------



## JadecloudAlchemist

This is tragic my heart goes out to him and his family.


----------



## arnisador

.


----------



## terryl965

. :asian:


----------



## bluekey88

I'd just heard this on the radio.  Such sad news.  
He will be missed.


----------



## IcemanSK

:asian:


----------



## Bill Mattocks

:asian:


----------



## Jenna

No matter what you think of what David Carradine and the Bruce Lee argument, his portrayal of Kwai Chang Kane was seminal for a lot of people in MA.  An icon...

"_I seek not to know the answers, but to understand the questions_."

Unusual circumstances though?


----------



## stickarts

I loved his series and by coincidence I am watching the second season now. :asian: He will be missed.


----------



## shesulsa

Arguably one of the biggest influences for Westerners to become involved in Martial Arts.

Rest in peace.


----------



## reinhart_menken

I didn't even know there were "politics" involved with him let along a Carradine vs Lee argument (I suppose it's about who's better?).

It's a shame the way he went though, nobody should ever "check out" by hanging oneself. I liked his movies too.


----------



## crushing

:asian:


----------



## MBuzzy

.


----------



## Senjojutsu

shesulsa said:


> Arguably one of the biggest influences for Westerners to become involved in Martial Arts.


True, 
There were other (actual) martial artists during the early 1970s.
But today&#8217;s digital &#8216;yutes - now dispersed viewing 200+ TV channels & Internet &#8211; may have trouble comprehending the impact to popular cultural and martial arts participation when ABC started broadcasting the Kung Fu pilot movie and TV series in 1972.

A sad end to another aging Hollywood actor. 
RIP


----------



## Jade Tigress




----------



## Nolerama

.


----------



## Xue Sheng

.


----------



## Sukerkin

Very sad indeed to have heard this news today.  

The character he crafted in _Kung Fu_ became a cliche of the Eastern Martial Artist precisely because of the positive core qualities that fictional monk embodied.  

Mr. Carradine went on to play some memorable characters in martial arts and main stream movies and always portrayed that engaging laconic style whether it came to the trading of blows or the exchange of wits.

I find it hard to fathom that such a man would suicide at his years, tho' I suppose depression can strike us all at any time.  On that side, I shall await what the reports will bring and hold my judgement.

As to the man and the roles he gifted to us, I shall miss him :sensei rei:.


----------



## morph4me

.


----------



## Gordon Nore

I was an avid viewer of the original show when I was twelve. He was definitely an iconic figure whose legend survived his personal demons and flaws.


----------



## Joab

It's very sad, and tragic indeed. I remember watching ths show as a little kid and play acting the character with a friend. The show had an impact on me to be sure, just as "Billy Jack", and later, Bruce Lee movies did. I will pray for his family.


----------



## shihansmurf

"Avoid rather than check..

Check rather than hurt..

Hurt rather than maim...

Maim rather than kill.."

Not a bad lesson for a T.V. show to attempt to impart on young martial artists. Not a bad legacy, for those that learned the lesson.

He will be missed.

:asian:


----------



## Omar B

His family is in my thoughts.


----------



## Catalyst

Rest in Peace, Grasshopper, Rest in Peace
:asian:


----------



## Guro Harold

.


----------



## girlbug2

I am somewhat bashful to admit, David Carradine in Kung Fu was my first inspiration to become interested in pursuing martial arts when I would watch those reruns in my Jr. High school years. I have always loved that tv show and it is saddening that Mr. Carradine passed away. RIP.


----------



## seasoned

.


----------



## Hawke

:asian:


----------



## David43515

reinhart_menken said:


> I didn't even know there were "politics" involved with him let along a Carradine vs Lee argument (I suppose it's about who's better?).
> 
> It's a shame the way he went though, nobody should ever "check out" by hanging oneself. I liked his movies too.


 

Actually the "politics" were because Bruce Lee came up with the idea of the Kung Fu TV show as a vehichle for his own career. He worked with the producers to flesh the idea out and then the studios decided to go with Caradine instead of Lee as the main character. They felt that the American public wasn`t ready for an Asian to carry the lead on a TV show. Lee was supposedly always bitter about it and held it against Caradine.


----------



## searcher

.


----------



## Tensei85

Its sad, He was awesome!


----------

