Actress throws light on Bruce Lee's death

Beijing - Taiwanese actress Betty Ting Pei has admitted in a television interview that martial arts legend Bruce Lee died in her home 41 years ago.

Lee was 32 when he died in Hong Kong on July 20,1973. Speculation about his death has persisted for decades.

In her first TV interview in many years, Ting, 67, who was Lee's lover, said that the location of Lee's death was held back intentionally, website Sina.com reported late last week.

"I have been accused of lying, as people said he did not die in my home," she said in the interview on Chinese talk show, A Date With Lu Yu.

Ting said that she did not have a say in the matters at that time because the family of Lee's wife Linda Lee Cadwell felt it was inappropriate that Lee was found dead in a friend's home.

"So Mr Raymond Chow told me that Lee's family said not to tell anyone that he died in my home," she said. Mr Chow was then a Hong Kong movie producer. He had announced Lee's death to the media in the early hours that fateful day, saying that the actor died in his own house with his wife by his side.

Lee's brother and wife later corroborated the story, but conflicting details led to the mystery over the exact location of the actor's death. Ting said that she felt wronged throughout the whole incident. "I was only 26 at that time. How would I know why he died suddenly?" she said.

"(His death) was a big blow to me. I was scared of death and ghosts. I did not know what to do, and there was no one to help me," she said.

Media reports said her interview was to counter allegations that she had caused Lee's death. She said in the interview that Lee was suffering from poor health before his death.

This article was first published on July 27 2014.
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