Bruce Lee died on July 20, 1973, at 32. The first Asian superstar of Hollywood, Lee accomplished things no one before or after him, could. The Wing Chun master revolutionized how action, especially martial arts, was filmed and portrayed in Hollywood. He also showed the world his exceptional storytelling and filmmaking skills. Hence, the Enter the Daragon star’s untimely death sent shockwaves through the world of cinema.

According to Matthew Polly’s 2018 book, grief-stricken crowds gathered outside the Kowloon Funeral Parlour. The who’s who of Hong Kong cinema arrived one after the other to pay their respects to the man who introduced Hong Kong cinema to the world. However, the night would end in chaos.

A funeral that nearly caused more deaths

As the evening progressed, more celebrities and people began gathering outside the funeral home. Polly wrote that according to The China Mail,?“For the scores of fans who had stayed the night, the saddest moment was the arrival of Lee?s wife Linda.”?Linda Lee would later recall,?“Outside the crush was tremendous.”?A premonition of things to come.

After Linda Lee’s arrival, her husband’s bronze casket was brought into the room.?“Inside was a protective enclosure of glass covering Bruce?s body to prevent anyone from touching him,”?wrote Polly. Friends, celebrities, and photographers gathered around Lee, to catch one last glimpse of the martial arts icon. However, chaos erupted when?“his hearse begin to depart.”

“Bruce?s fans went wild with grief. Three hundred policemen surrounding the funeral parlor were forced to link arms and form a human chain to hold back the surging crowds,” revealed Polly in his book. The frenzied crowd forgot about their safety, and the police called in reinforcements.

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Police evacuated women and children to prevent them from getting crushed in the surge.?“Old men wept, young girls fainted, and many people were hospitalized for shock and minor injuries,”?Polly revealed in his book Bruce Lee: A Life. However, things didn’t calm down after Lee’s hearse left the location.

A last chance to see their icon, Bruce Lee

Linda Lee had arranged for her husband’s body to be shipped to America. She wanted to bury Bruce Lee in Seattle. She believed?“his happiest times were spent in Seattle.”?However, that meant the average Chinese citizen would find it quite hard to visit his grave.

READ MORE | ?Not Been an Easy Journey?: Bruce Lee?s Daughter Suffered a Saddening State While Trying to Protect Her Father?s Legacy in 2016

So even after the stampede at his Hong Kong funeral, the police took to the streets.?“For hours afterward, police with loudspeakers were still patrolling the streets urging people to return to their homes,” wrote the author. However, many of Lee’s loyal fans refused to return to their homes, hoping to “be near their hero,” for one last time.

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The final resting place for Bruce Lee is the Lake View Cemetery in Seattle, Washington.