“You’ll Embarrass Me!”: Bruce Lee Mocked His Brother Despite Him Being One of the Biggest Teen Sensations in 1969

Published 01/07/2023, 4:00 PM EST

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We all know about Bruce Lee’s spectacular prowess in martial arts and acting. With his commendable cinematic style, he became a 20th-century pop-culture icon and was regarded as one of the best actors in the Hollywood entertainment industry. Howbeit, he wasn’t the only Lee who earned widespread recognition for his exemplary performances. The Little Dragon’s younger brother, Robert Lee is also a well-renowned personality, who through his musical adroitness graced Hong Kong’s music industry from a very young age and, became a teen sensation. However, even after having a successful career, Robert once got mocked by the Little Phoenix.

Even though he had a great musical career back in Hong Kong, Robert got teased by his elder brother for his skinny persona. 

Bruce Lee once mocked his younger sibling

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As per Matthew Polly’s book, Bruce Lee: a life, Robert Lee came to Los Angeles in 1969 with her mother, Grace Ho to meet his niece, Shannon Lee. And, as soon as Robert and Grace arrived at the airport, Bruce welcomed them with warm greetings. However, when he took in his younger brother’s persona, he said, “Jesus, you’re skinny!”.

Moreover, the Little Dragon teased Robert by asserting to him, “Don’t tell anyone you’re my brother- you’ll embarrass me!”. And, out of curiosity, Bruce asked his sibling, “How much do you weigh?”. On this, Robert mentioned that he weighs around 108 pounds. Howbeit, Lee got startled forthwith Robert’s disclosure and added, “No good! I need to train you”.

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Interestingly, from the next day of Robert’s arrival, Lee used to take him for a “three-mile run”, in order to train his younger brother to achieve robustness. 

Bruce and Robert’s dynamics

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Robert Lee was 8 years younger than Bruce Lee. Being a younger sibling, Robert admired the Little Dragon and religiously obeyed his teachings. And, for their respective professions, the Lee brothers were highly venerated in both the Eastern and Western hemispheres. If the elder brother was a great martial artist then the younger sibling ruled the hearts of millions through his guitar strings and The Thunderbirds’ musical notes. 

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Moreover, after Lee’s untimely demise, Robert Lee released an album: The Ballad Of Bruce Lee, in order to express his heartfelt reverence for his elder brother. Furthermore, the guitarist unveiled Bruce Lee’s statue in Hong Kong to pay him his sincere tribute on his 65th birthday. All in all, Robert loved his elder brother dearly. Robert’s admiration for his elder brother is worth melting for, don’t you think?

Watch this story – Relive the Iconic on-Screen Fights of the GOAT Bruce Lee From His Movie Collection

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Written by:

Purva Jain

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Purva Jain is a US Sports author for EssentiallySports. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Mody University of Science and Technology. Purva is an avid reader and author of 3 books that are published in national and international marketplaces.
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Edited by:

Pritam Priyedarshi