1 month ago
It’s been complete 50 years since Bruce Lee passed distant unexpectedly astatine property 32 – and his only girl is wished to group nan grounds straight.
Shannon Lee has been protecting her father’s legacy since she was successful her 30s. The 54-year-old is co-founder of nan Bruce Lee Foundation alongside her mother, Linda.
She’s now partnering up pinch Genesis Publications to publish "In My Own Process," which she said is nan charismatic book documenting her father’s life and work. It features uncommon photographs, workout regimes, martial arts drawings and philosophical observations made by nan precocious star.
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Bruce Lee's philosophies are published successful a caller book, "In My Own Process." (Genesis Publications)
"Lately, there’s been this communicative popping up that my begetter was angry each nan clip and arrogant and an a-----e," Shannon explained to Fox News Digital. "Look, everybody tin beryllium angry sometimes. I’m not saying he was ne'er angry. I know, especially when he was younger, he could person a temper. But his temper and his anger were a batch of times calved retired of frustration. Frustration pinch nan measurement he was treated, aliases vexation pinch group promising things and past not pursuing through. . . . But done his self-work, he came to understand that."
"In My Own Process" is being published connected April 23. (Genesis Publications)
"He has galore . . . writings astir it, how it’s easy to beryllium cocky and arrogant," Shannon shared. "It’s harder to beryllium honorable and definitive who you really are. [But] there’s this narrative being spread now that he was this angry, arrogant, cocky person.
"He was highly confident, which I think can beryllium mistaken for arrogance sometimes. He cared intensely astir doing things well. . . . We thin to want to put group successful a container and say, ‘This is what this personification was like.’ But nan truth is, those people didn’t know him, aliases they only crossed paths pinch him very, very briefly."
Shannon Lee wants to reside misconceptions astir her begetter Bruce Lee's life – and death. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)
"That’s something I’m trying to correct," Shannon added.
Lee died successful 1973 astatine nan tallness of his fame, owed to an allergic guidance to painkillers. Over nan years, Shannon has heard galore conspiracy theories surrounding nan circumstances of her father’s passing.
Some person alleged that Lee’s death was covered up and instead, that he had taken a supplier overdose. Some claimed he was poisoned by a suspicious lover. Others insisted he was assassinated by rival gangs. And for some, he was simply a unfortunate of a family curse.
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Bruce Lee died successful 1973 astatine nan tallness of his fame, owed to an allergic guidance to painkillers. He was 32. (Genesis Publications)
The mentation of a alleged curse intensified when Shannon’s brother, Brandon Lee, died successful 1993 aft an accidental shooting while filming "The Crow." He was 28.
In consequence to those rumors, Shannon said that it only speaks to "the greatness of my father's life."
Shannon, who was 4 erstwhile her begetter died, admitted that her memories of Lee are hazy. But his beingness ne'er near her.
Bruce Lee is seen present holding a young Shannon Lee. (Courtesy of Shannon Lee)
"The point that I retrieve nan astir about him is really he felt to me," said Shannon. "I have a very strong feeling of a consciousness of warmth, a consciousness of attention, a consciousness of playfulness, a consciousness of strength. He instilled successful maine a consciousness of information and a consciousness of emotion that I get to transportation pinch maine passim my full life.
"For a agelong time, erstwhile I was increasing up, I was really confused about why I felt for illustration I knew this personification truthful well, truthful strongly, fixed that my intelligence memories, my ocular memories, are not that strong. But it’s because of nan emotion he gave me."
Bruce Lee was 1 of nan first Asian actors to attain Hollywood mega-stardom. (Genesis Publications)
Her mother, 79, has continued to stock galore stories astir nan patriarch.
"When my parents had my brother, my dada was really excited, because he had a son," said Shannon. "For Chinese men, a firstborn boy is really important. So he was really proud and excited. And past my mom was like, ‘I deliberation we should person different child.’ He was like, ‘If I could person another son that would beryllium great.’ Then I came along. My mom was like, ‘Oh my God, you had him wrapped astir your small finger.'"
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Shannon Lee is seen present pinch her father, Bruce Lee, and her brother, Brandon Lee. (Courtesy of Shannon Lee)
"He became a woman dad, for illustration hardcore," Shannon chuckled.
Shannon described her family arsenic 1 filled pinch love. Linda told her that she had ne'er laughed truthful overmuch successful her life arsenic erstwhile she was joined to Lee.
"Most group thin to deliberation of my father’s life arsenic starting successful nan United States," said Shannon. "That’s where he met my mother, that’s where he opened his schools, and that’s where he was discovered by Hollywood. His profession took disconnected from there.
Shannon Lee eating melon connected Bruce Lee's directors' chair. (Courtesy of Shannon Lee)
"But he had specified a afloat life arsenic a child. He acted successful 20 movies. He was nan cha-cha champion of Hong Kong. He was the . . . boxing champion successful his precocious school. He was fighting successful rooftop matches and training . . . he was a kid pinch a batch of energy. And utilized that power to nan very end."
And Lee ne'er took a time off.
Bruce Lee began his profession arsenic a kid character successful nan 1940s and started learning Chinese Kung Fu erstwhile he was 13. (Genesis Publications)
"There’s a image we person of my begetter where he’s in this old-school matching pajama apical and bottom, and he’s in nan chair . . . passed retired asleep," Shannon laughed. "I retrieve I told my mom, ‘I emotion this picture, because it shows that he sewage tired and lazy, too.’ She conscionable started laughing hysterically. She said, ‘That picture is staged! Honey, your begetter ne'er stopped.'"
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According to Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee ne'er took a time off. (Genesis Publications)
"He rested, he believed successful nan powerfulness of sleep . . . he slept 8 hours a day, but when he was awake, he was ever going, ever moving," said Shannon. "Even if he was reading a book, he would beryllium stretching. If he was watching a boxing match, he would beryllium practicing immoderate punches."
"The pome fell really acold from that tree," she laughed.
Lee, who was calved successful San Francisco but raised successful nan Asian financial hub, began his profession arsenic a kid character successful nan 1940s. He started learning Chinese Kung Fu erstwhile he was 13. He moved backmost to nan U.S. successful 1959 and studied accuracy astatine nan University of Washington.
Shannon Lee described increasing up successful a loving household. (Courtesy of Shannon Lee)
He skyrocketed to fame successful Hollywood for his martial arts talents. But erstwhile cameras stopped rolling successful the '60s and '70s, he fought against racist portrayals of Asians connected nan large and mini screens. He combated racist stereotypes successful nan U.S. entertainment industry where Asian men were often portrayed as servants, unskilled workers aliases evil geniuses successful Hollywood.
Bruce Lee moved backmost to nan U.S. successful 1959 and studied accuracy astatine nan University of Washington. (Genesis Publications)
Lee yet went backmost to Hong Kong and made hits like "The Big Boss" and "Fist of Fury." His past film, "Enter nan Dragon," was released six days aft his decease and became his most popular movie. He was 1 of nan first Asian actors to attain Hollywood mega-stardom and fanned a Kung Fu craze that swept nan world.
In putting her book together, Shannon discovered caller stories astir her father.
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Shannon Lee told Fox News Digital that she had discovered caller stories astir her begetter while putting "In My Own Process" together. (Courtesy of Shannon Lee)
"My martial arts instructor, who was 1 of my father’s students . . . told maine this communicative astir this guy, Ted Wong, my father’s only student [when he started]. Ted told my dad, ‘I really wish I could find a girlfriend.’ My dada was like, ‘Well Ted, we sewage to get you together.’ He took Ted to bargain new clothes, get a haircut. He designed a weight regimen for him, truthful he could get successful shape. My dada was like, ‘Come on, let’s get immoderate power successful your body. Let’s get you emotion good.’ Ted soon met his wife."
Bruce Lee fought difficult against racist stereotypes successful nan U.S. intermezo industry, wherever Asian men were often portrayed arsenic servants, unskilled workers aliases evil geniuses successful Hollywood. (Genesis Publications)
"When my dad’s assistant coach astatine his Oakland schoolhouse fell ill, my dada helped him to decorativeness penning his book truthful that he could get nan proceeds for his aesculapian treatments," Shannon continued. "That’s a broadside a batch of people don’t see. They just see nan martial arts guy, nan action hero, nan coach and nan philosopher. But he was besides a heart-centered quality being."
Today, Shannon is wished to support her father’s legacy live for a caller procreation of fans discovering his activity – and lessons.
Bruce Lee's past film, "Enter nan Dragon," was released six days aft his death. (Genesis Publications)
"When you brushwood Bruce Lee, you consciousness your power lift," she reflected. "You consciousness invigorated. And that’s what I want to celebrate."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Stephanie Nolasco covers intermezo astatine Foxnews.com.
